Journal of the Nightmares
by cdbazemore98
Summary: Albert recounts the events that led to the kidnapping of his friends, his help in finding them, and the aftermath when they're rescued. All of them suffered physically, emotionally, and mentally, that the only way they can share their feelings is by writing entries in a journal.
1. Prologue

**Hey, hey, hey, guys! I'm back with a brand new story for Fat Albert! This one will be darker than the other stories, as it deals with heaving topics. The gang, except for Albert, have been kidnapped. This story will take place in the aftermath of it all, as we see the boys dealing with what they went through while imprisoned. And how they express their feelings by writing, hence the title. I hope you enjoy.**

**Warning: This story will contain flashbacks and mentions of physical, mental, sexual, and emotional abuse. If you have a hard time dealing with this sort of stuff, you may want to turn back while you can, unless you think you have the guts to read it. You have been warned.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids. They belong to Bill Cosby & Filmation.**

Prologue

Albert walked down the hall, holding a bag of Cook Out food, and a cup of water. He knew his friends might be starving... and he wanted to bring them something. His mom would come over later with some baked cookies.

After a few minutes, he found the room he was looking for and knocked on the door. It opened, revealing a young woman who had to be in her early thirties. She smiled when she saw Albert, "You must be Albert. They said you'd be visiting. I'm Barbara, one of the counselors..."

"Hey, hey, hey. I have to see my friends after they escaped." He replied.

"Well, one of the boys is here right now. The others are still in surgery or are not ready to come in here."

"Oh. Okay."

With that, he walked in the room, which to him looked like a kindergarten classroom, with colorful walls, and a soft carpet. In sitting on said carpet... was Russell. Since this was the first of the boys he was seeing since their rescue, Albert winced at his state.

The small child had bandages on his face, his left arm in a sling, and he was wearing dark blue pajamas instead of his usual winter clothing. He still had his Ushanka hat (which he begged to keep). When he looked up at Albert, he whimpered.

"Hey, hey, hey, Russell..." Albert greeted, "How're you feeling...?"

Russell looked away as if he was trying to find the right words. Albert walked towards the boy and sat down next to him, "I guess it's still rough, huh? Well, don't worry, it'll get better. And they'll find the people who took you and the rest of the dudes."

At the mention of his kidnappers, Russell whimpered again, trying to blink back tears.

"Are you feeling okay, sweetie? Do you need the trash can?" Barbara asked.

The child shook his head, before looking down at the back Albert was holding, "Oh, this is some food from Cook Out. Some good stuff. I figured you'd be hungry." The large boy explained.

Russell continued to look at the bag before he grabbed it and took out a tray. Opening it, he saw fries, a burger, and a hotdog. Albert smiled, "My mom will be here later with some cookies. I'm sure you'll love that, don't you...?"

The child just shrugged, as he popped a few fries in his mouth. It was now that Albert realized that Russell wasn't talking at all. He looked over to Barbara, who said, "I've been trying to get him to open up to me. But he hasn't said a word since he came here."

"Oh..."

Albert looked at his friend, and wonder if he could get him to talk, "Hey, Russell. Maybe we'll get to see the dudes again. I'm sure you'll be happy to see Bill when he starts recovering."

Suddenly, the second Albert mentioned Bill, Russell then broke down into uncontrollable sobs. This caught the large boy off guard, but he was quick to comfort the child by pulling him in a hug and rubbing his back, "It'll be okay... Bill will be okay..."

"YOU DON'T KNOW THAT!" Russell cried, speaking finally, "YOU DON'T KNOW THAT AT ALL! YOU WEREN'T THERE WHEN THOSE PEOPLE... they... they might have killed my brother... I may never see him again... they did... horrible things to all of us... they... they could have killed us..."

"I know... I know... and we found you guys. Those people might have escaped, but the police'll find them, and bring them to justice..."

"... It won't make a difference, Fat Albert. After what happened, nothing's gonna be the same..."

"Maybe not, I know you dudes won't forget what happened, but we can still go back to the way things were..."

Russell sniffed, "No we can't... we just can't..."

Albert frowned. He hated seeing the youngest of the gang, the sassy strong-headed one, so broken, defeated, and terrorized. And it was probably the same for the other dudes as well. Albert had no idea what happened when the gang was kidnapped, and what those people did to them, but judging by Russell's current state, it had to have been horrendous...

And as much as he hated to admit it, Albert himself felt affected by these events... his friends were taken away, hurt in brutal ways, and he wasn't there to help them... not this time. He felt like he failed, but he kept his head up with the fact that his friends were still alive...

However, he knew that whatever happened, it would be a long while before they could fully recover...

**Wow. Judging by this, you can tell that a lot has happened for the boys. Next chapter, we'll get a flashback of how Albert first found out about his friend's disappearance. Until then, I'll see you guys later. And as always, don't forget to review, please. Thank you.**


	2. Chapter 1: How it Began

**Hey, guys. I'm back with the first official chapter of JOTN. This will feature a flashback to when Albert learns of his friend's disappearance. Especially after they head for home. And we'll get to see Harold and how he's doing. I hope you enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

Chapter 1: How it Began

As Albert sat and watched Russell eat, he couldn't help but think of everything that led to this unfortunate incident. The worst part is that it was a normal day as usual...

_A normal day for the Junkyard Gang. They hung out together, watched the Brown Hornet, Rudy showing the gang his new headphones, and as usual, having a good time. Soon, the sun began to set, so the boys headed to their respective homes for the night._

_When Albert returned home, he was greeted with dinner, as usual. He sat and ate with his parents, as they engaged in conversation about their day. After dinner, Albert joined his folks for a little television, and after that, getting ready for bed._

_He remembered it rather vividly. He was in the bathroom, washing his face when the phone began to ring. He listened as he heard his mother answer it._

_"Hello? Oh, good evening, Rochelle... no, Rudy isn't here. He didn't come home...? How odd? Well, we'll let you know if we hear anything. Okay, goodbye."_

_Albert looked towards the door. Rudy didn't go home? That was unusual. But before he could think about it, the phone rung again, and his mom answered it._

_"Hello? Anna, good to hear from you... Bill and Russell? No, I haven't seen them. Funny, Rochelle says that Rudy didn't come home either. Well, we'll keep a lookout. Goodbye."_

_Bill and Russell too? Albert frowned deeply. This was strange. Once again, the phone rang._

_"Yes? Donna. I haven't heard from Donald."_

_Donald is missing too?!_

_Another phone call..._

_"I'm sorry, Iris, Harold isn't here."_

_And another..._

_"James hasn't been by here at all, Mary."_

_And another..._

_"I haven't seen Bucky, Helen."_

_After that call, Albert stepped out of the bathroom and approached his parents, "Mom. Dad. Is everything okay?" He asked with worry in his tone. His mom and dad looked at one another, before his mother spoke, "Albert... I just call a few calls from your friend's mothers. They're saying that their sons haven't come home. Do you know where they might be?"_

_Albert shook his head, "No. We all went our separate ways when it started getting dark."_

_"It's rather strange that they all disappeared like that." Mr. Robertson thought."It is..." Mrs. Robertson agreed, "The authorities should be contacted. We may have a missing child case on our hands..."_

_"You have a fair point, Alice."_

_Albert wasn't liking any of this one bit. His friends all seemed to have gone missing... on the same night. He wondered what could have happened. Well, he hoped that they would be found and brought home safely..._

_"Aw, dudes. Where are you...?" He asked quietly._

Albert remembered the day afterward when he went to school. It was the last day for them, so they should be here. He patiently waited for them to arrive, but their other classmates came in instead. He looked at the clock, and the class was to start soon...

And still... they didn't come.

_When the bell rang, Miss Wucher walked in, carrying some bags, "Good morning class. It's the last day of school, and I was thinking we could celebrate instead of having a lecture. But first, let me take roll call."_

_She picked up her roaster and began calling names... but discovered something, "Odd. Bill, Russell, Rudy, Donald, Harold, Bucky, and James aren't here. Albert, do you know where they might be?" She asked the large boy._

_Albert shook his head, "No. I don't. The last time I saw them was yesterday before we went home for the night. Their moms called our house, saying that they hadn't come home. We think they might be missing."_

_Miss Wucher was shocked, "Oh my. Let's hope they're found soon..."_

_"I sure hope so..."_

_The gang didn't show up for the rest of the day. While the End of Year party went on, Albert wished they were here to celebrate with the rest of the class. By 1:00 PM, it was time for everyone to go home (They got out early on the last day)._

_"Have a wonderful summer, everyone!" Miss Wucher bid everyone a farewell, "And keep the missing ones in your prayers. I'll see you all in the fall!"_

_With that, the class left, with Albert trailing behind rather slowly._

And then there was when he was walking home. When he discovered something in an alleyway...

_As Albert walked by, he happened to look down an alleyway and noticed something on the ground. Curious, he walked up to it and picked it up... it was bright purple headphones... with a red substance on them..._

_He quickly recognized them as the headphones that Rudy showed the boys the day before. And that red stuff... was possibly blood. Now with a clue, Albert rushed home, to inform his folks. Once he reached it, he opened the door and ran inside, "Mom! Dad! I found something!"_

_"Albert? I'm in here, sweetie."_

_The boy walked into the kitchen, to see his mother sitting at the table... with his friend's mothers, "What's all the excitement?" His mother asked._

_"I found Rudy's headphones. They were just lying in an alley. And I think there's blood on 'em..." He explained, showing the women the evidence._

_Rudy's mother gasped as she took the headphones and held them close, "My God... my baby. My precious baby... could he...?"_

_"I think all of our babies might have been taken..." Donald's mother replied._

_"But who would do such a thing?" Harold's mother asked._

_"And why?" Bucky's mother added._

_Albert frowned, "I just don't know... if that's what really happened, then maybe we should..."_

_"Set up a search." His mother answered for him, "The authorities have already been contacted, and a search is already underway. We should take the headphones to the department as evidence. It could be a lead as to where the boys may be..."_

_Albert sure hoped that it would help..._

And... in a way, it did. Rudy's headphones alone determined that the boys were kidnapped. Then it was a matter of finding them, rescuing them, and bringing the kidnappers to justice... the latter of which is still in progress.

"Um... Fat Albert?"

The large boy looked back at Russell, who about finished his tray of food, "What is it, Russell?" He asked.

"I... will things really go back to normal... do you really think so...?" The child asked.

"Well... maybe not all the way. But once you dudes are better, and those people are caught, everything will be okay. I don't know what happened when they took you, and I'm sure you don't wanna talk about it, but I know it had to be bad..."

Russell frowned, "It was... it really was... I might lose my big brother... he won't wake up..."

"I'm sure he will... we just gotta be hopeful..."

To be honest, aside from Russell, Albert had _no _idea of the other boy's conditions right now. All he knew was that some of them were in surgery, or not ready to see anybody. Hopefully, he wouldn't have to wait too long...

And... well, he didn't.

"Hey! Fat Albert!"

The two boys turned to the door, to see Harold being wheeled in by a nurse. He had a cast on his left leg, a bandaged wrapped around his right arm, and forehead. The tall boy smiled to see his friends... well, two of them at least.

"Hey, hey, hey, Harold. How're you feeling?" Albert greeted.

"Eh. Could be better... but at least I'm still alive..." Harold shrugged, "Those guys really messed up my leg, but not bad enough to amputate it or where I can't walk again. I'll have to be in this wheelchair for a while, which kinda sucks, though."

"Well, I'm glad you're feeling okay... Russell, on the other hand..."

Harold looked down at the small boy, and nodded, "Yeah... I know he's not doing so good..." he whispered to Albert, "He's really worried 'bout Bill..."

"I noticed. What happened to him, anyway?"

The tall boy rubbed his head, "It's kinda hard to remember... the past few days have been a bit of a blur since the police came for us... but from what I can remember... Bill got hit in the head pretty hard by the dude, and knocked him out... from what I heard, he hasn't woken up yet, and is in a coma..."

"Oh..."

"And the doctors aren't sure if he'll wake up. It's been some hours."

"Have you been to see him?"

"No. They aren't letting anybody but his family visit him right now."

Russell sniffled again, "I did... I saw him... earlier... you guys don't know how it feels to see your brother depending on a MACHINE to breathe! He may NEVER come out of this! He could DIE!"

With that, the little boy started crying again, and Albert resumed trying to comfort him. Harold looked at him in sympathy, thinking about how all of this escalated so quickly. Here they were, eight boys, after having a good day, going home... only for them to get ambushed and taken away, and be subjected to brutal treatment for almost a week and a half.

He wondered where everything went wrong...

**And that's it for this chapter. So, aside from a broken leg and some other injuries, Harold's doing fine. Well, better than the others mentally wise. And we learn that Bill's in a coma, and that's why Russell's so distraught. Next chapter, we'll catch up with the parents, and how they're dealing with their boys getting hurt. Until then, I'll see you guys later, and don't forget to review, please. Thank you!**


	3. Chapter 2: A Parent's Concern

**Hey guys. Here's Chapter 2 of ROTN. We're putting a little focus on the parents of the gang, how they're taking all of this, especially after the state their beloved children are in right now. Plus we'll see two more of the boys and their conditions. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

Chapter 2: A Parent's Concern

About an hour after Albert arrived at the children's hospital, his parents followed suit, with his mom bringing cookies as promised. Russell and Harold gladly accepted the treats and hoped that the others would be able to get some as well...

The parents were relieved that their children were alive and saved from... whoever took them, but seeing them in their current conditions... well, it was hard for everyone. The Robertsons walked into the lobby to meet with the others.

"So... how're the boys?" Mr. Robertson asked.

Mrs. Parker spoke up, "Last we heard, they're stitching Donald up, and we should be able to see him very soon..."

"James hasn't talked much, but he's sleeping now..." Mrs. Mush added.

"Rudy just got out of surgery..." Mr. Davis also added.

"And Bucky is going through some tests..." Mrs. Miller spoke up.

Mrs. Cosby sniffled as she wiped her eyes with a soft cloth, "Bill... he's still in a coma... and hasn't woken up at all... I'm worried about my little boy... what if he never comes out of this...?"

Mr. Cosby took his wife's hand, "Don't worry, Anna. He'll pull through. Bill's a tough boy. Honestly, I just hope Russell will be okay. I think he's in denial about this whole thing. It's just a shame that this happened to our boys..."

"Honestly, Alice. You and Cliff are blessed that Albert wasn't kidnapped..." Mrs. Davis told the Robertson's, "I can't believe our babies were taken and hurt by these... cruel people. How could something like this happen?"

Mrs. Mush shook her head, "To think we could have never seen our boys again... could this have been prevented?"

"I feel like... we could have had a closer eye on our children..." Mrs. Miller sobbed, "We try our best to set them on the right track, but we couldn't even keep this from happening..."

"It's not our fault, Helen. We had no way knowing this would happen..." Mr. Miller assured his wife, "But all that matters is that they're safe. And the police are searching for the kidnappers."

Everyone in the room shuddered at the mention of the people who hurt their children. From what they knew, the kidnappers were this couple, who apparently took pleasure in torturing kids. They had no idea of this couple's motives, but they must be stopped before any other child can get kidnapped.

"Let's hope they find them..." Mr. Robertson said, "The last thing we need is another child to go through the same thing the boys went through."

"Yeah." Mr. Parker agreed, "If that man and woman really like hurting kids, then there's no telling how many other kids had to share the same fate, if not less."

They could only hope that the criminals were caught as soon as possible, and from there, justice for the boys could prevail. After what they must have suffered in the last week and a half, they really needed that justice.

Soon, the adults were able to see their respective children for the first time again since they were all rescued. Bucky was sitting up in his hospital room, drinking some water as his parents sat with him.

"How're you feeling, son?" His dad asked him.

The preteen shrugged slightly, "Okay, I guess... I've felt better..."

"Do you need anything?" His mom asked.

"No..."

"... Do you want to talk about everything that happened, dear?"

"... Not really..."

Bucky didn't have the clearest memories of what happened during his and his friends time with the crazy couple, but the parts he _did _remember, were the most horrendous. And honestly, he didn't want to talk about it right now, as it would only trigger flashbacks of those awful memories.

"Some of your friends are in the children's room, son. Would you like to join them? I hear your friend Albert brought some food, and his mother brought cookies..." Mr. Miller spoke.

The preteen lit up slightly at the mention of food, "Well... I am hungry. And I haven't seen the other guys in a while. Okay! I'll go..."

With that, he made his way to the room, with his parents helping him to walk. Once he made it there, he was delighted to see Albert, Russell, and Harold, "Hi guys!" He greeted.

"Bucky. Good to see you." Albert greeted back with a smile.

"We'll be back later. We're going to talk to the doctor." His father said before he and his mother left.

Bucky sat down on the carpet next to Russell, "You guys okay?" He asked, "Harold, you have a wheelchair. Like Wheeler."

"Yeah..." Harold chuckled, "It's not all that fun, but I pretty much have no choice but to use it for a while. Those dudes messed up my leg pretty badly. I'm just lucky that I'll still be able to walk when I get better."

Albert took out another tray and gave it to Bucky, "Here's some more food from Cook Out. I'll bet your hungry."

"You just read my mind, Fat Albert." He replied, opening the tray and grabbing some fries. As he did, Albert took the time to examine his athletic friend. There were bandages on both of his legs. He wore pajamas similar to Russell's and Harold's, but in yellow. He also appeared to have a brace on his right wrist.

It only made him wonder what those people did to them.

"Y'know. I'll be glad when all of this is over..." Harold spoke, "When we get healed up, that man and woman are found, and we can go back to hanging out in the junkyard again. It's been too long..."

Albert nodded, "I know. I'm just glad all you dudes are still alive. I don't know what I'd do if those people killed you."

"They came close. They really did..." Bucky sighed, "I don't even wanna talk about it. It was too scary... say, do you know if the other guys will be here soon?"

"Miss Barbara said that Donald and Mushmouth would come in tomorrow, I think... and Rudy... he's not ready. Bill..."

At the mention of his brother's name, Russell was close to bursting into tears again, that he snuggled up again Albert, who of course rubbed his back soothingly, "Oh, sorry, Russell. I didn't mean to..."

Bucky was confused, "What happened? Is Bill okay...?"

"He's in a coma..." Harold whispered, "And they don't know if he'll wake up or not..."

"Oh... right, he got hit in the head..."

"And Russell isn't taking it too well..."

"I can see..."

As for Bill himself...

Mr. and Mrs. Cosby stood next to their eldest son in his hospital room, as he continued to sleep ever so peacefully in his bed... while hooked up to countless wires and tubes. The heart monitor beeped every five seconds, and it was like torture to the mother or father, as if soon... the beeps would turn into a flatline...

Mrs. Cosby reached over to give her son a soft kiss, "Oh, my darling... I pray that you will awake soon..." She whispered.

"You're a strong kid, son..." Mr. Cosby added, "You'll pull through. Russell needs his big brother..."

But Bill remained still. The parents just couldn't believe it. Their sons were kidnapped, rescued, and now one of them was comatose, and the chances of him waking up were very unlikely. How could something so... so... unreal happen like this?

And God knows how the other boys are feeling right now...

Back with the other boys, Albert still wanted to know something, "Are you sure there isn't anything you wanna talk about?" He asked, "I mean, talking about it will help, especially in finding those people who took you..."

"It's kinda hard to remember every single detail..." Bucky admitted, "What I can remember is the really scary parts... and I really don't wanna talk about them..."

"Me neither..." Harold added, "Besides... when we got saved and such... we kinda agreed that we wouldn't talk about what happened until we all felt ready to do so... and honestly, I'm still not ready..."

"Me neither..."

Albert nodded, "I understand. But you know you'll have to talk about it sometime... the police will need all the information they need."

"We know... but... it's just hard right now..."

The large boy nodded again. He could tell that none of his friends were ready to talk about what happened... at least not out loud...

Not out loud...

Say, that gave him an idea.

"Okay, dudes. I've thought of something. You dudes will be ready to go to bed soon. We'll meet up here tomorrow, and I'll bring something to help with your current situation."

The other three boys looked confused, "What is it...?" Russell asked softly.

Albert smiled, "You'll see..."

**So. The folks are still pretty upset about what happened. Bucky's doing well, and Bill's still comatose. And Albert has an idea to help the dudes express their feelings. And if you read the title of the story, you already know what it is. Next chapter, we'll see Donald and Mush... and maybe Rudy. And the first entries of the journal shall be written. Until then, I'll see you guys later. And don't forget to review, please. Thank you. **


	4. Chapter 3: The First Entry

**Hey, hey, hey. Happy Valentine's Day. And as my gift to you lovely readers, here's a brand new chapter of JOTN. This is where the title of the story is officially put into use, as we continue to learn little by little about the boy's experiences when they were held captive. We'll also get a flashback from Harold's perspective. Enjoy!**

**Warning: Chapter contains flashback of child abuse. You have been warned. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

Chapter 3: The First Entry

The next day for the boys was a bit easier, but it certainly didn't feel that way. It was the second day since their rescue, but for some reason, it didn't seem to feel so good. They were relieved to be home and seeing their families again... but that didn't get rid of the memories...

On the way to the hospital to visit his friends, Albert stopped by the local store to buy something... something that he felt would help his friends...

"A journal...?" Harold asked as Albert showed them the book with a green cover.

"Yeah. This is to help you with talking about your feelings. About what happened when those people took you." Albert explained, "If you aren't ready to actually talk about... you can write about it..."

Russell, Harold, and Bucky looked at one another. They weren't sure how writing in a notebook was going to help them in the slightest. But, they still trusted Albert, so maybe it would work...

"I dunno what to right..." Russell admitted sadly.

"Me neither..." Bucky added.

Harold took the journal and sat it on his lap, "I could write something... there's plenty of stuff on my mind, and I'm starting to remember some of the stuff that happened to us..." He said, taking the pencil Albert also had.

The large boy smiled, "Go for it..."

With that, the tall boy thought for a moment, before writing.

"Dear, Journal... my friends and I have been through a lot these past few days... I guess I should start with the very beginning..."

_Harold couldn't see a thing. Like, at all. Was he blindfolded? It sure seemed that way. He was wondering where he was and what the heck happened? The last thing he remembered was walking home. And now... he's blindfolded..._

_What was going on?_

_Suddenly, the blindfold was removed, and the tall boy could finally see again... but when he did, he wished he could have the blindfold back. The location appeared to be a basement, and hanging on the walls were what had to be torture devices. The tall boy looked down to see a chain cuffed around his leg._

_Harold also noticed that his friends were here also (Except for Albert) sitting on either side of him, and also chained and blindfolded, that is, until their vision was freed. From the looks on their faces, they were every bit of confused as he was... and scared too._

_It was then when Harold noticed the lady who was removing the cloths covering their eyes. He had to admit, she looked rather pretty, with curly brown hair that stood at her shoulders, complimenting her nice caramel brown skin. She wore a black dress that seemed to be short on her, but Harold doubted that she cared._

_The woman gave him a look, her red lips curved into a sinister smile that made the boy shudder a bit, "Nice of you sweet little boys to awake. Now my husband and I can have some fun with you all."_

_Husband?_

_As if on cue, the door to the basement opened, and down the stairs came a muscled man who looked even scarier than the lady, who walked up into him to give him a kiss, "Gabe, baby. Our little sons have awakened." She told him._

_Sons?_

_The man, named Gabe, looked over to the boys, and chuckled, "So they are... well, I guess we better explain the rules to them, Bella..."_

_He then walked over to the boys, who all cowered in fear. Harold tried to shield them away in an attempt to protect everyone, but he knew he couldn't do anything while tied up. The man smirked, "Hello, boys. We're so happy to have you here..." He greeted in a deep gruff tone._

_"Why are we here?!" Harold heard Rudy demand, "What are you gonna do to us?"_

_Gabe then glared at the rich boy, "You had better keep your mouth shut, Rudolph. Unless you want punishment already."_

_Rudy was stunned as to how these people even knew his name. But, in fear of getting hurt, he settled down. That's when Bella walked over, holding a whip, "Now, my little sugarplums. We're your new Mommy and Daddy. And you'll address us as such, or else you'll receive punishment."_

_This could not be happening. The boys were slowly starting to realize that they have been kidnapped, and these people were going to parent them? Harold gulped, as he knew that this couldn't end well._

_That's when Russell spoke up in protest, "You're not my Momma and Dad! I ain't gonna call you that! You better let us go or else you're gonna get it!"_

_Unfortunately for the little boy, his words came with a big price, as Bella raised the whip, and struck him on the side, making him cry out and burst into tears. Bill gasped, before glaring at the woman, "Hey! You can't hit my brother like that! Who do you think you are?!"_

_The woman sneered, "I think I'm your Mommy, William. And I will not tolerate you raising your voice at me. That goes for the rest of you boys..."_

_Gabe then took over, "Now that we understand each other... here are some of the rules you'll be following in our custody. You already know the name thing and not raising your voice. While living with us, there aren't many rules to remember. But this is the most important one... you MUST do everything we ask of you. No ifs, and's, or but's about it. If you refuse, disobey, or even 'forget', you will receive punishment."_

_"Also..." Bella added, "If you be good boys, you'll get special treats from Mommy, and sometimes, Daddy."_

_Harold wasn't liking this already. This couple seemed like they would be abusive parents if they really had children of their own. He looked over at his friends. Bill was comforting Russell, Rudy kept his head bowed, Donald was whimpering, Bucky was shaking, and he felt Mush clinging to him. They were all terrified._

_And as much as Harold didn't want to show it, he was scared too. If these crazy people were gonna keep them here, then who knows how long it would be until they saw their real families again._

_He didn't a lot of time to dwell on that, as Gabe spoke again, "Alright. Since we got the main details outta the way, it's time for some fun. All of you, take off your shirts..._

_... What...?_

_The boys looked at one another in confusion, but when they saw the man's glare and heard Bella's whip crack, they scrambled to quickly removed their upper clothing. Soon, they were all shirtless. Gabe smirked, "Good... now stand up, and get in a line, smallest to tallest. Turn around, and put your hands up against the wall._

_He didn't need to repeat that twice, as the boys did as told, standing in the line from left smallest (Russell), to the right tallest (Harold). Peeking slightly, Harold could see Bella walking to a nearby table, as she put the whip down, and then grabbed something else, though he couldn't exactly make out what it was._

_The woman then walked towards the boys, and before Harold could see what was going on..._

_SNAP!_

_He heard Russell let out a high pitched scream. Turning to his left, the tall boy could now see that Bella had struck the youngest one on the back with a long leather strap. But she didn't stop there, as she then did the same with Bucky, causing him to yell out as well._

_It then happened to Bill._

_And then Donald._

_And Rudy._

_And Mush._

_When Bella was behind him, Harold was already bracing himself for the strike. He could already sense that she was raising the strap, before bringing it down on his back with such force. It left a stinging sensation, and in a desperate attempt to not scream, he just hissed in pain. The woman giggled, before going back down the line of boys, striking them again a second time._

_That's when Gabe joined in with his own strap, and soon, the crazy couple was taking turns striking every boy on the back. Screams of pain echoed through the basement. Harold tried as hard as he could to resist the pain he was feeling, but it was very difficult. Not after even three minutes later did he feel the wetness dripping down his back._

_And after one glance at his friends, the same could be said for them._

_After another five minutes of whipping, Gabe and Bella stopped. As for the boys, they were either breathing heavily, sobbing in pain, or both. Their backs looked like they were shredded by knives, as blood dripped from the open wounds onto the floor, even forming a puddle under a few of the boys._

_"I have to say, that was quite the enjoyment..." Gabe chuckled._

_Bella smiled, "It sure was. And you boys were so good. I'm proud of you..."_

_The response she received were moans, groans, and more sobbing. But of course, that's what she and her husband wanted to hear, "And since you were so good, you get to rest."_

_As soon as she said that, all boys dropped to the floor on their stomachs, relieved as the previous positions they were in were very uncomfortable. Harold looked over to see the man and woman walking up the stairs, "We'll bring you kids somethin' to eat later." Gabe told them, "But for now, you rest up. It's late."_

_"G'night, my little angels..." Bella blew a kiss, "Sleep well..."_

_With that, they left, locking the door in the process._

_"M-M-My b-back..." Bucky whimpered._

_"I-I-I-It hurts..." Donald sobbed._

_"P-Pure AGONY!" Rudy shrieked._

_"I wanna go home! I want my Momma!" Russell cried as Bill held him._

_"Meb toob..." Mush moaned._

_Harold frowned. This was **not **how he thought he'd be spending his night. And neither did the others. He winced as he felt his back, feeling blood on his fingers. He felt, as the oldest one here, that he should be the one in charge, "Uh... don't worry, dudes. Maybe this won't last forever... I'm sure our folks will notice we're gone, call the police, and they'll find us..."_

_But deep down, he wondered if that would ever be the case. Would they see their families again? Would **he **ever see Mom, Dad, and his little sister, Tiffany again?_

_He supposed that only time will tell..._

"And that's all I have to say for now. But let me tell you, that was only the beginning. I'll be back with more to write about later, Journal. From, Harold." The tall boy finished his entry and closed the book, before giving it back to Albert, "I think I got what I want to say up here... for now." He said,

Albert smiled, "Good job, Harold. I'll read it later."

"U-U-Uh, h-hey guys..."

Looking towards the door, the boys smiled to see Donald standing there, along with Mush, who waved, "Hib, dudesb. Howb itb going?" He asked.

"I can't say good so... fine." Harold gave a thumbs up.

"The doctors said you were in here..." Donald said as he and Mush walked in, sitting down on the carpet to join their friends. Albert soon noticed that Donald was wearing oversized pajamas, while Mush had a brace around his neck, and his arm in a sling much like Russell.

"I can't believe we're even still alive..." The dimwitted one spoke, "I mean. Those mean people really put us through a lot... but... we made it through... and we're still here..."

Albert nodded, "And that's a blessing. I don't know what I would have done without you dudes."

Donald chuckled, "Yeah, you're lucky, Fat Albert. You didn't have to deal with it."

"Yeah... we weren't so lucky..." Bucky agreed

"At least ya'll don't look stupid like I do..."

Before the others could question that, Donald rolled up the sleeves on his arms, revealing stitches of all kind, most of them only slightly covered up by bandages. Albert observed them closely, and nodded, "Donald... you don't look stupid..."

"Yeah, I do! I look like a freak!" Donald began to tear up, "And my legs ain't any better." He rolled up his pants on his legs, revealing more stitches, "I look like some ragdoll with all these strings keeping me together! And I hate it! I hate it so much!"

Suddenly, the pink hat wearing boy began to break down in sobs, bearing his face in his sleeves. Mush rubbed his shoulder as a sign of comfort. Albert felt more and more saddened by all of this. First, Russell is distraught about Bill being in a coma, Harold's in a wheelchair, and Donald feels like he's a freak because of all the stitches he had.

"Donald. You don't look like a freak." He tried to reassure his friend, "Those stitches are to help heal your injuries. You're not gonna have them forever."

"B-B-But they'll leave a scare..." Donald sobbed.

"You mean a _scar_..." Harold corrected for him.

"I-I don't care what it's called! I look like some monster, and I just hate it!"

With that, he cried some more. The other boys felt it was best to allow him to let it all out, and they would reassure him when he was calm enough. Looking around the room, Albert noticed that someone was missing, "Hey, dudes. Do you know if Rudy will be here?" He whispered, as to not upset Donald any further.

Mush shrugged, "Ib haveb nob ibdea..."

"Last I heard, Rudy isn't ready to see anybody yet... or he can't..." Harold whispered back.

"I heard on the way here, that Rudy was on suicide watch," Bucky whispered.

Suicide watch?

"What? Are you saying that they think Rudy's trying to kill himself?" Albert asked in disbelief.

Bucky shrugged, "I don't know for sure. But that's what I heard from a doctor. They won't let Rudy see ANYBODY until they feel he's ready. And that could take a while based on everything that's been going on."

Russell frowned, "Y'know. As annoying as Rudy can be, he shouldn't take his own life. Even he doesn't deserve to die..." He said sadly, before balling up his fists, "Those people who took us are the ones who deserve to die! Especially after what they did to Bill!"

Albert put a hand on the child's shoulder, "Don't worry, Russell... you guys will get justice... I hope..."

Later on that evening, Albert took the time to read Harold's entry.

_'Dear Journal,_

_My friends and I have been through a lot these past few days... I guess I should start with the very beginning. It was just a normal day for us. Hanging out in the junkyard, having fun until it was time for us to head home. All I remember is walking home myself, and before I even reached the front door... I blacked out. I dunno if I was knocked out or what, but when I awoke, I found myself in a completely different location._

_It looked like I was in a basement, and I wasn't alone either. The other dudes, except for Fat Albert for some reason, were here too. And this lady was here. I have to admit, she was kinda pretty. But even I know that looks can be deceiving. Then her husband showed up, and they basically told us that they were going to be our parents from now on, and if we didn't do what they say, then we would be in trouble._

_I knew from there that this was not gonna be fun. They then had us take off our shirts and lean against the wall, while they whipped our backs 'til we bled. I won't sugarcoat it, it hurt like Hell. I know I shouldn't probably be saying that word, but there was no other way of describing the pain. When they were done, they left the room, promising food for later. I knew the other dudes were hurting, but I tried to stay optimistic, telling them that our parents would find us... although I wasn't so sure of that..._

_And that's all I have to say for now. But let me tell you, that was only the beginning. I'll be back with more to write about later, Journal._

_-From, Harold_

Albert cringed as he read this. From what he could see, his friends went through absolutely Hell from this couple. He didn't even blame Harold for using that word to describe the beating they all took. This caused him to fear of what other forms of abuse the gang had to endure in their captivity.

And hopefully... they could recover from it in time...

**So Harold's the first one to write an entry. As you can see, he's handling this a little better than the rest of the boys. And trust me, there will be most flashbacks from the others' perspectives. And judging by what Bucky said, Rudy's not doing too well, is he? Next chapter, it will be Bucky's turn to write, and we may get a lead as to where the kidnappers are hiding. Until then, I'll see you guys later, and don't forget to review, please. Thank you!**


	5. Chapter 4: Food

**Hey, dudes and dudettes. Here's another chapter of JOTN. This time, we get Bucky's entry in the journal, and a flashback from his perspective, taking place almost after Harold's flashback. Plus we'll see a bit of Rudy at the beginning of the chapter. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

Chapter 4: Food

Rudy just stared out the window of his hospital room, looking out the view of the city. It was the very early morning, at the crack of dawn he had to guess, but he honestly didn't get a good sleep at all that night...

... And every time he did, he would only wake up from a nightmare of... those people.

The man and woman who kidnapped him and his friends, and spent a week and a half subjecting them all to tortures of all kind. It was a complete sucky time, but most of it was nothing compared to what happened to him...

Once they got rescued, Rudy wanted nothing more than to just hide away from the world forever... to the point where he attempted to do himself in by trying to swallow pills in one gulp. But the doctors stopped him and placed him under a stupid suicide watch... and he hated it.

And they were most likely doing to do the same thing today.

Rudy groaned as he lied back down, hoping to get some more sleep, and prayed quickly for no more nightmares... but as soon as he closed his eyes...

_"No... no... please... get away from me! Don't hurt me! Leave me alone! Please, I'm too young! I won't... let you! Somebody! Help! HELP! NOOOOOOOO!"_

The teen's eyes shot back open as he began to breathe heavily. He couldn't even rest without gaining visions of the pain that the couple put him through. He sat back up and put his face in his hands, brushing against the cast on his nose, and began sobbing softly. Those nightmares just wouldn't go away...

He could only hope that his friends were doing better than he was...

Speaking of which...

Bucky stared at the journal on his lap. He asked Albert if he could leave it with him, for he now felt like he has something to write in it. The only problem... he had no idea how to word it as of now. He actually read Harold's entry for some inspiration, but that didn't help much either...

The preteen then started to think of what happened after that strap beating they received. He remembered... the food that they served. Perhaps that's what he could write about. Grabbing a pencil, Bucky opened the book, on the second page after Harold's entry, and began writing.

"Dear Journal... at first I didn't know what to write about, but now, I have to talk about the food those bad people gave us..."

_Bucky spent most of his time on his stomach, as to not irritate his back, which at the moment, was filled with open wounds from the beating he and his friends took from Gabe and Bella. The pain didn't want to subside in the slightest, even though it's only been fifty minutes since...__He could hear his friends groaning, moaning, and sobbing from the agony, and he didn't blame them one bit. That mean couple had left the basement, promising food for the boys when they got back._

_"Y-Y-Y'know... I'll be glad when we get food... I-I-I'm hungry..." Donald stuttered.__"_

_Meb toob..." Mush added._

_Rudy groaned, "As if I want to eat ANYTHING those people serve for us. Don't expect a gourmet meal, dudes. They'll probably give us some type of slop or another."_

_"Well, whatever they do give us, we better be grateful they're feeding us at all..." Bill told him, "They could let us starve, but they're not..."_

_"I don't wanna be grateful for ANYTHING they feed us!" Russell huffed, "Not after what they just did to us! Those are bad people! We gotta get outta here!"_

_"I know, Rus. But maybe if we just optimistic and do what they ask us, they'll go easy on us and if we're lucky, they'll let us go..."_

_Rudy glared at Bill, "You sound just like Fat Albert. We all know he would say something like that if he were here..."_

_"He's lucky he isn't here..." Harold spoke up, "He doesn't have to endure what's happening to us. I sure hope he's doing okay without us. He has to know that we're gone... he might even know what to do..."_

_The other boys couldn't agree with that. For all the flack they give Albert for being a 'killjoy' most of the time, they did appreciate him, and this was one of those times where they could use his words of wisdom._

_Bucky then looked at everyone's shirts that were just in the corner, before he shivered a little, "Um, guys. Should we put our shirts back on? I'm getting cold with being shirtless..."_

_The dudes looked at one another, before Bill spoke, "I guess so. It is a little chilly. But we should clean up our backs first."_

_"Good. Cause I don't wanna get any blood on my fashionable sweater and vest..." Rudy replied._

_Bucky looked around before he saw some clothes near a table. Standing up slowly, he walked towards it, although how far he could get to it was limited due to the chain around his ankle. But, he was able to reach the table and grab the clothes, which were wet thankfully, before going back to his friends. With that, they all took turns wiping each other's backs of the blood, until the wounds were clean enough not to bleed out any more._

_That's when they put their shirts back on, even though their backs still stung when the fabric brushed against them. Well, at least they didn't feel cold anymore. By that time, twenty more minutes have passed, and before the boys could even try to sleep..._

_"Dinner is served, my little pumpkins!"_

_T__he door swung open, and down the stairs came Gabe and Bella, both holding plates and bowls respectively. The kids looked on until the couple placed the bowl and plate on the floor in front of them. What they saw nearly made them gag...__In the bowl was what looked like dirt with water poured into it. And on the plate was cut up pieces of meat that didn't even look cooked. The boys look back at the couple, who smiled back._

_"Enjoy your meal, boys..." Gabe said, "And you better eat it all. Because if we could back and that bowl and plate aren't empty... then it's punishment time..."_

_With that, he and Bella left, the latter blowing a kiss as they walked back up the stairs and closed the door. As soon as they were gone..._

_"See? What did I tell ya?" Rudy asked as he gestured towards the 'food', "I knew they weren't gonna give us something good. I'm not eating this crap!"_

_"Me neither!" Russell agreed, pouting._

_Bill frowned, "But we got to..."_

_"Yeah..." Bucky added, "You heard what the man said. If we don't eat, we'll get punished again..."_

_"I don't care!" Russell shot back, "I'd rather get whipped again than eat whatever this stuff is..."_

_Donald took a closer look at what was in the bowl, "Maybe it's not bad. We haven't even tried it yet. It might be better than it looks." He suggested, "And if it's not good, we can just pretend it is..."_

_The boys didn't know what to think of this. Bucky just continued to stare at the bowl. Perhaps Donald had a point. He noticed that there were seven spoons for it... so he grabbed one, scooped up some of the... stuff, and after taking a deep breath, put it in his mouth and swallowed._

_"Bucky! What are you doing?" Rudy asked in shock._

_After a few seconds, Bucky looked at his friends. To him... the stuff wasn't all that bad, "It's a little salty... but it's not awful..." He said, "Think of it like oatmeal. Go on, try it..."_

_The others were still hesitant on this, but Bill soon followed suit and scooped up some of the food, tasting it, "Mmm... hey, you're right. This stuff ain't half bad..."_

_Harold soon did the same, "It **is** like salty oatmeal."_

_Donald looked over at the meat and picked up a small piece. He took a bite off of it, and chewed slowly, "The meat is kinda raw... but it kinda tastes like chicken..." He chuckled a little._

_"Please tell me you guys are joking..." Rudy rolled his eyes, "There is no way this stuff is good."_

_"It's really not all that bad..." Bill told him, "Try it..."_

_Against his better judgment, the rich boy caved and grabbed a spoon. Slowly, he tastes the stuff in the bowl, "Mmm... okay... it's... not disgusting... but... that doesn't mean it's good..." Was his final verdict._

_With that, the boys began to eat the food that they once feared would be bad... everyone, except Russell that is. When Bill noticed that his little brother was not eating, he offered him another spoon, "Hey, Rus. You should really try this. It's not bad at all."_

_"I don't want any!" The little boy refused, "I don't care if it tastes okay. I'm not eating anything those people give us! "_

_"But you have to at least eat something. You don't wanna starve, do you? C'mon. At least try it."_

_"No!"_

_Bill sighed. He didn't want to force Russell to eat the food, but he wanted his brother to at least has something in his stomach, "Well.. okay. But if you change your mind, I'll leave you something..."_

_"Don't count on it..." Russell scowled, turning away._

_Bucky couldn't blame Russell for not wanting to eat the food. For one thing, while it may taste okay, it sure didn't look appetizing at first glance. And another, it seemed like that couple was trying to win them over, despite how badly they were treating them. And Russell wasn't going to try and kiss their feet._

_The kid has tough guts, that's for sure._

_And everyone else seemed to have tougher stomach's as well..._

"Once we felt like we were full, we finished. But Russell still didn't eat. That's when the man and woman came back and... I'll leave it here. I'll be back next time with Part 2 because that's when things started to become scarier than before. From, Bucky."

The preteen finished his entry and closed the book. He sighed, remembering what happened after they finished eating. That was something he didn't want to even think about, and he was sure Russell didn't want to think about it again either...

Later on, he rejoined his friends in the children's room yet again (sans Rudy), as Albert presented more food for lunch. This time, he brought sandwiches that ranged from peanut butter to grilled cheese.

"Hey, hey, hey. It's another day." Albert said, "I hope you like it. I made them all myself..."

The boys gladly took the sandwich of their liking and began eating, "Thanks, Fat Albert." Harold said, "This is delicious..."

"Much better than the food those bad people gave us..." Russell nodded.

"Hey, it wasn't that bad." Donald spoke up, "That meat tasted like chicken, remember?"

"No. I don't. Cause I didn't eat it."

At the mention of food, Bucky brought out the journal, "Oh yeah, that reminds me. I wrote down something, Fat Albert." He then gave the green book to the large boy, who opened it and began to silently read the preteen's entry.

'_Dear Journal...__At first, I didn't know what to write about, but now, I have to talk about the food those bad people gave us. This was after they whipped the skin off our backs. We cleaned each other up, and they came back with some food later. Or at least, I hoped it was food. There was a bowl that was filled with what looked like sand and dirt were mixed together. It looked nasty. And there was a plate full of meat. It didn't even look like it was fully prepared._

_The man told us that we had better eat it all or else we'll get punished again. But some of us weren't so sure if it was even edible. Rudy and Russell sure weren't keen on eating it. But Donald suggested that it might not taste bad since we haven't tried it yet. I figured he had a point, so I swallowed any nervousness I had and tried it. It... wasn't that bad. A little salty, but it was like oatmeal. I was able to persuade the other dudes to try it. Donald even tasted the meat and said it was like chicken. And he was right._

_The only one who didn't eat anything was Russell, even though Bill tried to get him to, even promising to save something. He refused to try any food those people gave us. I think it was because that man and woman were trying to get us to respect them, and Russell wasn't trying to fall for it. Can't say I blame him._

_Once we felt like we were full, we finished. But Russell still didn't eat. That's when the man and woman came back and... I'll leave it here. I'll be back next time with Part 2, because that's when things started to become scarier than before. From, Bucky'_

Albert smiled a little. At least his friends didn't seem to suffer for a while based on this entry. But judging by that last part Bucky wrote down... it sure seemed like things were about to start happening again.

"Nice entry, Bucky. You and Harold both..." He said, "Anybody else wants to write anything...?"

Russell shook her head, "No... still not ready..."

"Meb neither..." Mush said, "Ib stillb don'tb knowb whatb tob writeb..."

"Neither do I..." Donald shrugged, "What do I write about anyway?"

"You can write about your feelings based on what happened with you dudes." Albert explained, "If you're not ready to talk about it, you can write about it for now."

"Oh..."

Albert then looked at Russell, "So, any updates on Bill's condition?" He asked.

The small child sighed, "They said that he responded slightly by moving a little... but he still hasn't woken up..."

"Hey, hey, hey. That's a good sign. At least he's responding to things. Maybe he'll wake up sooner than we think."

"I sure hope so..."

Suddenly, a shrill scream was heard from outside the room. It started the boys enough to make them curious as to what was going on. They all ran to the door (Harold wheeled there) and peeked outside.

What they saw was Rudy struggling as hard as he could, as some doctors were trying to restrain him. His parents watched this all unfold as his mother was sobbing in fear. The boys could also see Barbara, as she noticed them.

"What's wrong with Rudy?" Albert asked her.

"We were escorting him to see you, boys when we felt that he was ready. But all of a sudden, he started freaking out and nearly attacked his mother. We believe he's suffering a mental breakdown and we're gonna see if we can calm him..." She explained.

The boys frowned. Albert didn't know this, but the others had a pretty good idea on why Rudy was breaking down like this... and it wasn't a particularly nice idea either...

**So Bucky tells the tale of the food the gang was served, and Rudy is suffering mentally. Next chapter, we'll see Rudy interact with his friends again, and probably get another entry. Possibly from Donald this time. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I'll see you guys later, and don't forget to review, please. Thank you!**


	6. Chapter 5: I'll Be Needing Stitches

**Hi, everyone! I'm back with another chapter. Today, we're gonna have Rudy join his friends for the first time since the kidnapping and rescue. Plus, we'll get a flashback and journal entry from Donald's point of view. I hope you enjoy!**

**Warning: This chapter contains another flashback of child abuse. You have been warned.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

Chapter 5: I'll Be Needing Stitches

It took a while, but the doctors were able to calm Rudy down. And when they felt he was ready, they allowed him to join his friends finally in the children's room. He slowly entered the room, where the other boys were sitting on the carpet.

"Hey, hey, hey. Look who finally decided to join us..." Albert said with a smile.

Rudy frowned, but he joined his friends where they sat, "Hey, dudes."

"How're you feeling? We all kinda saw what happened earlier..."

"Ugh... I'm fine. I just had an episode... but I'm okay..."

Albert looked down at the journal by his side, and picked it up, showing it to Rudy, "Well, if you want to, you can write about your feelings in this journal. If you're not ready to talk about your experiences with those people who took you..."

The teen looked at the journal, before glaring at Albert, "What makes you think I wanna discuss about what happened at ALL?! I sure don't wanna talk about it! Writing about it will only bring back the memories!"

"But it'll help with the police investigation, Rudy. Harold and Bucky already wrote in it. When you get ready, you can write in it."

But Rudy just turned away, "I'm not gonna be ready, because I don't want to write anything. And frankly, neither should the rest of you. Tell me, do any of you really want to have to go through all of that, and basically have to memorize all those awful things those people did to us?"

The other boys looked down, before Harold spoke, "Well. Having to remember most of the details is kinda rough. But like Fat Albert said, it'll help the police with finding those people. Besides, they're gonna have to question us eventually on what happened anyways, so might as well..."

"Yeah..." Bucky agreed, "We all suffered, Rudy. And keeping it to ourselves won't help..."

However, Rudy was still insistent on not writing even single word. He couldn't. Not after everything that happened. He didn't wish to risk remembering it all for the sake of writing it down.

Meanwhile with Donald, he was just sitting off to the side, not really paying much attention to his friends. He was mostly looking at the stitches on his arms and legs, and frowned. Despite how much the others tried to reassure him, he still felt like a freak with them. And even when the injuries healed up and the stitches would be removed... it wouldn't feel any different.

"I wish they didn't cut me up so badly..." he said to himself, "Or else I wouldn't be needing these stitchings and stuff..."

"Donald..."

The teen looked up to the door, to see his mother walking towards him, holding a little visitor, "Daisy wants to see you..." She said.

"Dona!" the baby cooed in delight as she reached for her brother. Donald gladly took Daisy in his arms and smiled at her, "Would you mind watching over her for a little while?" Mrs. Parker asked, "I need to run some errands."

"Sure, Mom..." Donald nodded, "I could use the company..."

"Thanks, dear..."

With that, she left. Donald looked at his little sister, as she smiled and batted his face with her tiny hands, "You're glad to see me again, aren't ya?" He asked, "It's been a while, but your big brother is back. Man, those bad people sure messed me up. But I'm lucky to still be alive. I got all these scars though, look."

Placing Daisy in his lap, he rolled up his sleeves to show her stitches. The baby, of course not knowing the real deal, patted the stitches with curiosity. Donald winced, but tried to keep a good attitude, "You're lucky..." he said, "You didn't have to go through everything I went through. You're just a baby..."

The more he thought about it, perhaps he did have something to say now. The teen looked over to Albert, "Hey, F-Fat Albert. Can I see that book? I wanna write somethin'!"

"Sure thing, Donald." The large boy replied with a smile as he slid the book over to his friend.

"Fa Abba!" Daisy babbled.

Albert smiled. Donald's little sister was just too pure. Donald took to book and a pencil, and started to think of how he wanted to start this off.

"Okay... how are we gonna do this... oh! I know! 'Dear Journal... I guess it's my turn to write in here... so I got all these stitches because of those bad guys. Let me tell ya how it happened..."

_"You little pussy!" Gabe growled as he glared at Donald's soiled pants, "You wet yourself?! What are ya, a baby?"_

_"You'd think teens would learn not to do that..." Bella replied, "I guess little Donnie needs to be taught a lesson."_

_Gabe nodded, "Oh, I'll teach him a lesson alright. I'll teach him to be a MAN!" He then threw Rudy, who he was holding, down to the floor, and the crying boy crawled back into the corner where the others were._

_As for Donald, he shook with fear as he covered his face with his sleeves, "N-N-No, p-please... I-I-I'm sorry. I-I just g-got s-s-s-scared..." He stuttered, "P-Please don't hurt me... it won't h-happen a-again..."_

_But when the boy looked up again, he paled when he noticed the man holding a large knife in his hand, "Don't worry, boy... we'll make sure it doesn't happen again.." He sneered._

_Suddenly, he grabbed Donald by the shirt and pulled him up. Raising the life, he brought it down along his arm, leaving a big rip, with a cut the same size. Donald screamed in pain, clutching his arm. Gabe then brought the knife across the same arm again._

_Again and again, the poor boy was slashed. On his arms, his chest, his legs, even his back, reopening the wounds from when he was whipped. As it happened, Donald could catch a glimpse of his friends. They were terrified. Russell held on tightly to Bill. Bucky, Harold, and Mush were looking away. Rudy... looked absolutely broken..._

_And Donald felt broken at the moment..._

_Soon, the slashing came to a stop, as Donald was on the floor, breathing heavily and crying, a pool of blood slowly forming under him. Gabe placed his foot on the teen's back, making him yelp, "Now... are you gonna piss your pants anymore...?" He asked._

_"N-N-N-No, s-s-s-sir..." He whimpered._

_Gabe smirked, "Good... now. How about we give you a bath?"_

_With that, both he and Bella grabbed Donald and dragged him over to a tub on the other side of the basement. Stripping him of his clothes (except for his hat), they basically dropped him into the tub... which was steaming hot._

_Donald was not liking this as he was roughly bathed. The water had began a mix of red and brown due to all the blood. After about ten minutes of scrubbing and stinging soap, he was dried, redressed, and thrown back to his friends._

_"Let that be a warning to the rest of you brats!" Gabe scowled at all of them, "If any of you decide to piss on yourself, it's punishment time... got it?"_

_All of the boys nodded rapidly._

_"Good..."_

_As soon as that was said, the nasty couple walked up the stairs again, with Bella giving these parting words, "We'll be back later with dinner, sweetie pies..."_

_Once the door closed, Donald began to cry again, "I'm such a baby! I can't believe I just wet myself like that!"_

_Bill patted his shoulder, "You're not a baby, Donald. You got scared. I'm not sure any of us **wouldn't **have peed a little after... what they just did to Rudy..."_

_At the mention of that, it was Rudy's turn to burst into tears again, burying his face in his hands, "I hate this... I just really hate this! Those people suck! They really do! I don't know how much more I can take of this torture!"_

_"Me neither!" Russell whimpered, "I wanna go home! I want my Momma and Dad!"_

_Again, Harold tried to be optimistic, "I know this keeps getting worse, dudes. But we gotta keep having faith. Someone will find us and get us out of here, I just know it..."_

_"B-But do you know how long it'll be...?" Donald asked, "It's been six days already! I won't be surprised if we die before anybody finds us here!"_

_"Don't say that... we just gotta be brave..."_

_At this point, Donald wasn't sure if being brave would even help. For the past six, almost seven, days, they all have been through nothing but pain and misery. What's going to happen if it kept going... would they even survive? Only time would tell..._

_"I... I need to sleep..."_

_With that, the pink hat wearing boy decided to lie down, hoping that a nap could take his worries away... for now..._

"And that's how it happened. It's kinda silly, but I was scared, so who wouldn't pee? You're probably wondering what happened to Rudy... well, that's a entry for another time. See ya, Donald..."

After finishing the last sentence, he closed the book and handed it back to Albert, who promised to read it later. From there, the boys spent most of their time playing with Daisy. She was now eleven months old, and already saying so many words, most of them being her brother and his friends names. Just barely though.

Among her vocabulary was the following, aside from 'Momma', 'Dada', 'eat', and 'nighty night'.

Dona (Donald).

Fa Abba (Albert).

Bee (Bill)

Russa (Russell).

Way Harry (Harold).

Mushymow (Mush).

Buck (Bucky)

And Rude (Rudy).

Out of all the boys, Rudy was the most annoyed with how the baby pronounced his name. He knew she was still learning, but that didn't mean it didn't irritate him to be known as 'Rude', especially since Russell always had some jokes about it.

"Bee? Bee?" Daisy asked, looking around for Bill.

The boys frowned. From what they heard, Bill still wasn't waking up, despite being a bit responsive. How were they suppose to explain this to a baby? Russell decided to speak, "Um... Bee isn't here, Daisy. He's sleeping. But hopefully he'll wake up and we can all play together."

"Oh..." The baby cooed, nodding.

Soon, Mrs. Parker came back to pick up Daisy. The infant, of course, wasn't so happy about leaving her brother, but was promised that they would come back the next day. While the others engaged in conversation, Albert took some time to himself to read Donald's entry in the journal.

'_Dear Journal... I guess it's my turn to write in here... so I got all these stitches because of those bad guys. Let me tell ya how it happened..._

_It happened when they were hurting Rudy real bad. I felt so bad for him. And I also really scared. So scared that, please don't laugh, I wet myself right then and there. Embarrassing, ain't it? Unfortunately, the man noticed, and got real mad. He and the lady thought I was a baby. I tried telling them that I was scared, but I don't think they cared._

_That's when the man took a knife and starting cutting me up. And let me tell you, it really hurt. Like, really hurt. It hurt more than the whipping we got when those people first brought us here. I got cut on my arms, my legs, my chest, even my back. Like that wasn't wasn't hurt. Thankfully, he stopped, but then he and his wife decided to give me a bath._

_It was hot, and the soap stung because of all the cuts. But at least I was clean... I guess... afterwards, they warned the other dudes not to pee their pants. Then they left. I felt like a baby for what I did, but the others tried to tell me that I was just scared. And I was. I still felt awful for what happened to Rudy. And I don't think he's gotten over it still..._

_It had been six days at this point, and all of us were tired. We weren't sure if we'd even get away and be free. But Harold keep saying to be brave. I guess it worked._

_And that's how it happened. It's kinda silly, but I was scared, so who wouldn't pee? You're probably wondering what happened to Rudy... well, that's a entry for another time. See ya, Donald...'_

"Poor... Donald..."

From what Albert read, it appeared that Donald didn't have the best time. None of them did, but it sure seemed that Donald was one of the ones who suffered the worst... and so did Rudy. It made him curious as to what exactly happened to Rudy. Perhaps when he was ready to talk about... he would find out...

He soon set the journal down and rejoined his friends. Russell, Bucky, Donald, and Mush should be ready to leave the hospital in the next few days. Harold would have to stay for some physical therapy. Rudy would stay for more monitoring. Bill... was obvious.

Speaking of which. The Cosby's came to see their youngest boy and bring him back to his room for the night. They had an update for him that Bill was being more responsive, and was more likely to wake up.

Russell was delighted. But before he could rejoice too much, they heard noise down the hall. Russell peeked out the door, and paled at what he saw...

His brother on a gurney being rushed into the operating room. A doctor rushed to his parents to inform him of what was going on, "William was being checked on when he started having a seizure. And all of a sudden, he started oozing blood from the mouth. We're going to see about this and perform an emergency operation..."

A seizure...?

Blood oozing from the mouth...?

Emergency operation...?

Bill...?

This was all too much for Russell to take. He back awayed and held a hand to his heart. He started to breath heavily. He could his mother sobbing, his father speaking with his doctor, and his friends asking if he was okay. But he blocked it all out as he started to stumble... his vision became blurry... and he eventually passed out.

"Russell!"

**Good lord. So to recap, Donald went through some stuff as well, we got to see his little sister (from the episode 'The Newcomer'. I gave her a name since she doesn't seem to have a canon one), and now Bill's having troubles as well, and it's too much for poor Russell right now. Speaking of whom, he'll get his turn to write in the journal next chapter. Until then, I'll see you guys later. And as always, don't forget to review, please. Thank you.**


	7. Chapter 6: A Brother's Sacrifice

**Good day, lovely readers! It's time for another chapter of JOTN. This time we're getting a journal entry from Russell, which will explain what happened to Bill from his perspective. It's gonna be a bit sad, though, especially if you remember what happened at the end of the last chapter. Speaking of which, we'll get an update on Bill's condition. Also, t****o make things even sadder, this will also reveal, or at least hint at what happened to Rudy. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. **

Chapter 6: A Brother's Sacrifice

"Russell... Russell. Wake up, baby..."

The nine-year-old groaned as he slowly opened his eyes, to be greeted by his parents. Looking around, he could see that he was back in his hospital room. He looked back at his parents, who smiled, "How're you feeling, son?" His father asked.

"Okay... what happened?"

"You passed out. It's morning now..." his mother answered.

Passed out?

Slowly, Russell started to remember the events that happened earlier. He had learned that his brother was having a seizure and drooling blood, and had to go into surgery... and now it was MORNING?

"Bill! What happened to him? Is he okay?" he asked.

Mr. Cosby nodded, "Don't worry. Bill's fine. They were able to save him at the last moment. He's stable again but is still comatose. The doctors say it might be a few more days until he starts to be responsive again."

... That honestly didn't make Russell feel any better. While he was glad that Bill was still alive, there was the fact that he was still in a coma, and even less responsive than ever. Mrs. Cosby noticed her youngest's expression, "Would you like to go see him?" she asked.

He didn't want to see his brother like he was... but maybe it would be confirmed to him that he was still alive. So he just nodded. His father then gave him something, "Oh. Your friend Albert wanted me to give this to you. He felt like you might need it..."

It was the journal. Russell cautiously took it and stared at it. To be honest, he wasn't sure if he ready to write anything yet. But then again... here he was, ready to go visit his brother. It brought him back to _why _Bill was in the condition he was in right now...

And everything that happened that led up to that point.

And before the small boy knew it, he was sitting beside his comatose brother. There seemed to be even more wires and tubes hooked up to him than before. Russell stared at the heart monitor next to to the bed. It beeped ever so... it felt like it was mocking him.

Beep... beep... beep... beep...

Russell turned his attention away from it, fearing that he focused on it longer, it wouldn't be long until he heard a flatline. He looked at Bill and touched his hand.

"Hey, Bill... if you can hear me. I'm glad you're not dead..." He said, "I just hate that this has happened to you... our summer was supposed to be starting off great... but look at us... all of us are traumatized... and you're stuck here relying on a machine to survive!"

He closed his eyes tightly to prevent tears, as he took a deep breath, "But maybe... everything's gonna be okay... Fat Albert gave us this journal to write about our experiences. Weird Harold, Bucky, and Dumb Donald already wrote in here... but I guess it's my turn..."

Russell opened the book and began writing.

"Dear Journal... I have something to say. My brother's in a come right now. And I wanted to write about how it happened..."

_Russell didn't know what time of the day it was... considering the basement had no windows, but if he had to guess, it was around nighttime. The man and woman had brought them breakfast and lunch already. Dinner was most likely next._

_And it had only been a few hours since... they last tortured the boys._

_Russell clung to his brother tightly, trying to ignore Rudy's wails of pain and misery. He couldn't believe it, but the child was starting to feel incredibly sorry for the rich boy who annoyed him on a regular basis. He didn't deserve the... cruel act those people did to him._

_It had been ten days since they were kidnapped and brought to this dungeon of doom. There didn't seem to be any chance of them escaping if it had been this long. All of them had their fair share of torture place on them by Gabe and Bella, but they could all agree that Rudy suffered the worst of what happened earlier that day was anything to go by._

_And Russell wondered... just how worse was it going to get?_

_He felt his brother grasp his hand. Russell looked up at Bill, who smiled and hugged him, "It's gonna be okay..." He whispered, "We'll get outta here... I hope sooner than later..."_

_"Me too..." Russell whispered back._

_At that moment, the basement door opened, as Bella came down with a tray of bowls, "Dinner is ready, my little handsome boys!" She announced in a sing-song voice._

_She walked towards the boys and sat the tray down in front of them. From what Russell could tell, it seemed to be some sort of soup. Tomato soup to be exact. Well, it looked appetizing, and he didn't mind eating it. Besides, he didn't have much of a choice but to eat it, since the last time he refused to eat... well, let's just say he was left both hungry and sore from the bottom._

_Bella smiled until she saw that Rudy was still crying, "Aw. My little Rudolph is still blue. Cheer up, baby boy. I've brought you something to help you grow into a big man."_

_The orange cap wearing boy shook his head and turned away, "I-I-I'm n-n-not h-hungry..." He whimpered._

_"But you have to eat, darling? You don't want to starve, do you...?"_

_Rudy refused to answer. It was then where Bella was starting to get irritated as she leaned in and grabbed the boy by the collar of his sweater, "I slaved over a hot stove to make this soup, and damn it, you're gonna eat it until the bowl is empty, you ungrateful bastard!" She snarled, "Do I need to punish you again?!"_

_"NOOOOOOOOO!" Rudy shrieked, more tears streaming down his cheeks._

_Russell hated this. Seeing Rudy so miserable, scared, and broken was devastating, and this woman was making things worse. It had to be stopped... it had to be stopped..._

_So... without really thinking, Russell jumped up and got between Rudy and Bella, ignoring his brother's calls to come back, "Leave him alone! If he doesn't want to eat, then he doesn't have to!"_

_"Excuse me?!" Bella was outraged._

_"You hear me!" Russell shot back, glaring at the woman, "If Rudy's not hungry, then you don't need to force him to eat. And I wouldn't blame him for not wanting to eat anything. Who would **want **to put food in their stomach after they got some long thing shoved up their-"_

_SLAP!_

_The little boy fell to the floor after that strike to the face. He held his cheek and looked up at the woman, who was officially pissed, "How DARE you speak to me that way, you little brat?! I am your Mommy! You are to respect me!"_

_"You are NOT my Momma!" Russell frowned, "Nor will you ever be!"_

_Before Bella could hit him again, Gabe started coming down the stairs, "What the hell is going on down here?" He demanded._

_"Our boys are being bad, Gabe." Bella replied, "Rudolph refuses to eat his dinner, and Russell decides that he'd rather sass me!"_

_The man glared at the two boys, "Is that so..?" He then walked towards a wall, and grabbed something, before walking towards the boys. They all paled when they noticed that it was a sledgehammer._

_"You boys wanna go 'bout disrespecting your Mother, eh?" He asked, "Well, let's see how you change your tune after this!"_

_With that, he raised the hammer high. Russell braced himself for a hit before he heard a scream. Looking to his left, he saw Harold reeling over in pain, clutching his left leg. He got hit._

_"W-Why did you hit me? I didn't do nothing..." The tall boy hissed._

_"Just wanted to test the strength of this. Haven't used it in a while..." Gabe then turned to Russell, "Now. Time to show you some respect, you little troublemaker..."_

_Again, he raised the hammer... right above Russell._

_"NO!"_

_Suddenly, Russell felt himself being pushed out of the way hard. He landed on his arm, which brought some more pain, but that was the least of his worries when he heard a sickening sound and a loud groan. He looked at what happened, and it made his heart stop._

_Bill... on the floor... bleeding from a big gash on his forehead._

_He took the hit... and saved his little brother._

_"No... Bill..."_

_The small child felt tears falling as he couldn't help but stare at what was happening right in front of him. Gabe smirked, "Not the target I was getting, but it's better than nothing. Let that be a lesson in respect to you mugs! If you ever step outta line again, you'll be hearing from me and your mother. Understand?!"_

_But before the boys nod their heads..._

_There was a sound in the distance..._

_It got louder... and louder..._

_Until it was loud enough to be recognized... as police sirens._

_"Shit!" Gabe cursed, "Cops are here! Bella, we gotta go!"_

_Bella moaned, "I don't wanna move again! What about the boys?! We can't just leave them!"_

_"Forget them! They're about useless anyways."_

_With that, the couple scrambled up the stairs and out the door. As soon as they were gone, Russell crawled over to his brother, and held him, "Bill... Bill, please... why... why did you do that?" He asked with a sob._

_There were a few seconds of no response, but Bill weakly looked at his younger brother and smiled a little, coughing up blood, "I did it... 'cause I didn't want my little brother to get hurt..." Was his response, "I'll be fine, Rus... don't worry.. oh, my head..."_

_Russell almost got sick from all the blood that was leaking out of the split on Bill's forehead. So much so, that he used his scarf to cover it up. But by the time he did... he noticed that Bill's eyes were closed, "Bill...? BILL?!"_

_No response._

_None at all._

_Fearing the worse, Russell began to cry in sorrow, holding his brother tightly. The other boys couldn't help but bow in silence, thinking that... one of them... was... was... or almost..._

_After a few moments, the door opened again, but instead of it being Gabe and Bella... it was police, one of them the boys recognized as Officer Jackson, "We finally found you, boys. We're gonna get you outta here." He assured as he descended the stairs._

_"My brother!" Russell cried, "You gotta help him! They might have killed him!"_

_"Don't worry, Russell. The paramedics are on their way..."_

_The child nodded, before looking down at his unconscious brother..._

"And that's what happened, Journal. Bill risked his life to save me. I could've been the one in the coma right now, not him. Now, all I hope is for him to wake up... and maybe he can write something down. Bye, Russell..."

Russell closed the journal with that last sentence, and looked back at his older brother, "You think that was good? I think so... well, I gotta go meet the other dudes in the kid's room. Maybe when you wake up... you can join us, okay? See you later, Bill..."

With that, he touched his brother's hand again and walked out of the room. What he didn't realize, was that there was a faintest of noise aside from the beeping of the heart monitor.

"... Rus..."

Meanwhile, Russell joined the others in the kids' room, where Albert had brought some board games to play, "Hey, hey, hey. Let's play some games."

"Fat Albert... I wrote down an entry..." Russell spoke up, giving his large friend the journal.

Albert smiled, "Great. I'll read it later."

Harold was thankfully allowed to get out of his wheelchair, only to get on the floor to play the games. They were even joined once again by Daisy. Also, Harold's little sister, Tiffany, had come to visit, and Harold was pretty much forced to let her play.

"I hope you're ready to lose, Harold." She declared, "I'm good at Scrabble!"

"How can you be if you don't even know how to spell most words at your age?" The tall boy smugly replied to his sister.

While the boys were setting everything up, Albert took the time to read Russell's entry really quick.

_'Dear Journal... I have something to say. My brother's in a coma right now. And I wanted to write about how it happened... It had been ten days since we got started after that bad man and woman hurt Rudy really badly. And I mean really badly. He was crying a lot. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I actually felt terrible for him. As 'no class' as he could be, he didn't deserve to get hurt that way._

_The man and woman left for a few hours, and the woman came back with some food. She had some tomato soup, which I wouldn't have minded since it looked good compared to the other stuff they fed us. But Rudy didn't want to eat at all, so the lady began to threaten him. I felt like I couldn't stand by and let her do that, so I stood up to her and told her to back off._

_It was probably the dumbest thing I could have done, but I didn't want to show that I was weak. But she got madder and hit me. Then the man came in and decided that he wanted to swing a big hammer around to teach us a lesson. He used it to hit Harold on the leg as a 'test', and then tried to hit me... but he didn't... because I got pushed out of the way... by Bill..._

_And Bill got hit instead. There was a huge cut on his forehead, and he was bleeding badly. The man didn't seem to care, though, but then... we heard police cars outside. The man and lady left us alone in the basement. I guess this is when they escaped. I talked to Bill, and asked why he took the hit. It was because he didn't want me to get hurt. I used my scarf to stop the bleeding, but then Bill... I guess passed out, but I thought he died right then and there._

_The police showed up in the basement and told us that we were saved. But... I was still worried about my brother._

_And that's what happened, Journal. Bill risked his life to save me. I could've been the one in the coma right now, not him. Now, all I hope is for him to wake up... and maybe he can write something down. Bye, Russell...'_

Albert smiled. He really admired Russell for standing up for Rudy. In normal circumstances, he wouldn't dream of it, but this was a serious situation right here. "Hey, Russell. Can you come here for a second?" He called.

The little boy nodded, and crawled over to Albert, "What is it...?"

"I wanted to say that you were very brave..."

"Huh?"

"I just finished reading your journal entry. You were really brave to stand up for Rudy like that... to protect him."

Russell frowned deeply when that was mentioned, "I wish I didn't... look at what happened to Bill, all because I decided to get sassy. If I had just kept my mouth shut and not say anything..."

Albert put a hand on the child's shoulder, "It's not your fault. You did the right thing. You saw that Rudy wasn't being treated right, and decided to put a stop to it. If you hadn't said anything, Rudy would've suffered more than he did. And Bill made a sacrifice to save you because he loves you. He took the blow to the head so that you would live..."

"I know... but now he might die..."

"Well... if that is the case, God forbid. At least he can die knowing he did a good deed."

Russell wiped away a few tears. Albert was right. Bill had to have known the risk when he shoved his brother out of the way. And if he... passed on, it would be from the fact that he kept his brother safe. But Russell still hoped that Bill would wake up...

"Hey! You guys gonna play with us or not?" Harold called from the center of the room.

Albert and Russell looked at each other, before smiling, "Hey, hey, hey. Let's go play!" Albert said.

With that said, the two went to join their friends for some friendly games.

**Wow. So Russell feels like he's to blame for what happened to Bill. But Albert is quick to assure him that he's not. And props to Bill himself for taking the blow for his little brother, even if he knew doing so could've killed him. Next chapter, we'll get an entry from good 'ol Mushmouth, and see a flashback from his perspective.**

**Also, you noticed that Harold also got hit in the leg by the sledgehammer, but that wasn't the only thing that factored into his injury. Next chapter, we'll see what else caused it. Until then, I'll see you guys later. And as always, don't forget to review, please. Thank you!**


	8. Chapter 7: Bravery is a Broken Leg

**Hey, hey, hey, friends! It's time for yet another chapter of JOTN. This time we've got good ol' Mushmouth to write in the journal. I'll just have his entry be normal writing since it might be too much to read in Ubbi Dubbi. This chapter will also reveal the other cause of Harold's shattered leg. I hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

Chapter 7: Bravery is a Broken Leg

"Whatb ab dayb..."

Mush was honestly glad to be home. He had been at the hospital for four almost five days, and today he was discharged at last. And so were Donald, Bucky, and Russell. Harold was doing some physical therapy, Rudy had to be monitored, and Bill... well... he was still comatose.

All Mush could think was of how lucky Albert was. He didn't have to deal with any of the torture and abuse he and the others had to deal with at the hands of that horrible couple. The Ubbi Dubbi speaking boy shuddered at the thought of them. They just seemed too delightful at what they were doing. He hoped they were found soon so that no other kid would suffer.

"Is there anything you need, James?" His mother asked as they walked through the door.

"Nob, M'amb..." Was his reply.

"You sure, dear? You're not hungry or anything...?"

"Nob. Ib justb wantb tob restb."

"Well, okay then. But if you need anything, just call me."

"Okayb."

With that, Mush headed for his room, and flopped down on his bed, happy to be able to lay in again, rather than sleeping in the uncomfortable hospital bed. Now, if only his neck could have some freedom. The brace he had was gone and replaced by a much softer one, but this one would need to stay on for at least another week or so.

And for Mush, it sucked.

But he knew why he had it. During their captivity, he fell and hit his neck pretty hard. Not hard enough to snap it, but hard enough for it to hurt for a few days. The few injuries that weren't the fault of that couple...

Sadly, the same couldn't be said for all the other injuries that _were_ the fault. One thing the boy could remember was Harold's broken leg. It was completely shattered due to the sledgehammer on the last day of their captivity, but Harold was hurt WAY before that even happened...

That could make for a good journal entry.

Speaking of which...

Mush reached into the backpack he brought home and pulled out the journal. Albert let him have it for the night, in case he wanted to write something down. And now... he felt like he had something to write down.

"Dearb Journalb. We'veb allb beenb throughb ab lotb... but Ib haveb tob talkb aboutb Weirdb Haroldb... heb wasb sob braveb..."

_Seven days..._

_It had been seven days..._

_Seven days since they were taken away from their families, and forced to stay in this basement. Within those seven days, they have been subjected to nothing but endless torture from this crazy psychotic couple._

_Mush sat on the floor, his back again the wall. Harold was beside him, seemingly looking at a bruise on his hand. The Ubbi Dubbi boy looked to see the other dudes. Bucky was lying down, trying to sleep. Donald was still bothered by the cuts he received from Gabe the previous day. Rudy looked broken and traumatized. Bill and Russell were holding onto each other._

_It was safe to say that everyone was NOT doing too well._

_"So... how are you guys doing...?" Harold asked._

_Silence was the response he got, and the response he expected as he sighed, "Yeah... I figured..."_

_"Heyb. Maybe whenb web getb outb hereb. Web canb gob forb ice creamb." Mush suggested, in an attempt to brighten the mood. Ice cream was always a good thing, right._

_Again, there was silence, but this time, after a few seconds, Bucky spoke up, "I could definitely use some ice cream now..."_

_"I wish we were at an ice cream parlor..." Donald muttered, "It would be better than being in this place..."_

_"I second that..." Bill added._

_"I third it..." Harold also added._

_Mush smiled. He was glad that seemed to work. At least they were thinking of something else other than the predicament they were in currently. Ice cream completely took their mind off it... for now at least._

_Speaking of said predicament... it felt pretty warm in the basement right now. Mush looked around to see if there was an air conditioner or something... before he noticed a dial on the other side of the room. Curious, he stood up, stretched, and began to make his way towards._

_"Where're you going, Mushmouth...?" Harold asked._

_"I thinkb Ib seeb a thingb tob turnb downb theb heatb inb hereb..." Was his friend's reply._

_Wait! Don't touch anything! Those people might find out..." Bill said frantically._

_But the Ubbi Dubbi speaker was just that focused on getting to that dial. So focused... that he forgot that he was chained, so before he could get to the other side of the room, he was not only stopped by the chain, but he also tripped over a board sticking up. It twisted him in a way that he ended up landing on his back hard... but also hit his neck._

_"Ohhhb... myb neckb..."_

_Harold jumped up quickly to bring his friend back to the corner, "You okay...?" He asked softly._

_"Notb reallyb..."_

_Suddenly, the doors swung open, and Gabe and Bell came down the stairs, "What's all the racket? We're trying to eat dinner in peace!" Gabe said with annoyance, "Who was making the noise?"_

_The boys stayed silent, all of them too afraid to answer, Mush especially, since he was the one who attempted to move. Bell then spoke, "Daddy asked you a question! Answer it!"_

_Again, the boys said nothing. None of them were willing to go through any more punishment tonight. But in the fear of receiving one, Harold spoke up, "It was me... I was making the noise..."_

_Mush looked at his tall friend. He was taking the blame for him?_

_Gabe stood over Harold and grabbed him by the shirt collar, "So... you want to be noisy, huh? Well, I got just the thing for that!"_

_As soon as that was said, the teenager was thrown to the floor, on his legs. Harold let out a howl of pain as he held his leg knee, gasping to see blood seeping through his pants. He looked up to see Bella standing over him with a large knife in her hand, "Aw, you hurt your leg, Harold?" She asked 'sweetly', "Let me fix that..."_

_With that, she swiftly swiped the knife down the tall boy's legs, leaving a long and deep cut. Harold hissed as he looked at all the blood that spilled from the cut. Bella smirked, "And that should keep you quiet. We only want you to scream when we're doing it to you... understand?"_

_"U-Understood..." Harold grunted before he was thrown back into the corner._

_"Good. Now keep your traps up. We'll be back with dinner later..." Gabe said as he and his wife left the room once more. As soon as they were gone..._

_Mush put a hand on his friend's shoulder, "Whyb youb sayb youb madeb theb noiseb? Youb knowb itb wasb meb..."_

_Harold winced, before forcing a smile, "I didn't want you to suffer. It was an accident, and I know you weren't trying to make too much noise. I'd rather let them beat me down than let you get hurt over something so petty..."_

_Mush felt rather touched. Harold took the blame so that **he **wouldn't be punished instead. It brought back just how calm and optimistic Harold had been about this whole situation. While everyone else was in hysterics, he was the one with a cool head._

_"And you know that goes for the rest of you cats. I'd take the blame for all of y'all, even if it meant getting punished in your place." The tall boy said, "And I still believe we'll get outta here one way or another..."_

_That warmed the other boy's hearts as well. As weird as Harold could be at times... it was nice to see him take charge of a serious situation for once..._

"Haroldb wasb reallyb the bravestb ofb usb allb. I wishb I wasb thatb braveb. Butb I guessb hisb braveryb isb whatb helpb usb escape. Wellb, that's allb forb nowb. Untilb nextn timeb, Mushbmouthb..."

With that, Mush finished writing his entry in the journal. At first, he felt bad that Harold had to take the wrap for him, but at the same time, Harold knew the risk and consequences and didn't want anymore abuse placed on his friends. And that's how he got that broken leg, only made worse from the sledgehammer days later.

And now, Mush wondered what Albert would think of his entry.

Well, tomorrow, he would find out.

The next day, meetings at the hospital were moved to the children's section, in a much bigger and more childlike room, with tables and such. The boys met there yet again to hang out, and Harold soon joined in after a session of physical therapy.

"Hey, hey, hey. How's your leg, Harold?" Albert asked.

"Doing a little better. Still hurts, though..." Was the tall boy's response, "But I guess it'll be worth it."

Russell soon spoke up, "Good news. Bill's being more responsive. Chances of him waking up have increased greatly, the doctor says. I'm so happy and relieved..."

Albert smiled, "That's great, Russell..." But then, he noticed that someone was missing among the group of friends, "Hey, where's Rudy? Is he coming?"

Harold had an answer to that, "I heard he tried to kill himself again, so they have him under suicide watch. I think he tried to jump off the roof of the hospital this time."

That shocked everyone in the room, even Russell. Donald spoke, "Poor Rudy... he ain't been the same since we got kidnapped..."

"Who wouldn't be... after what those people did to him..." Bucky added with a frown.

"What did happen by the way...?" Albert asked with curiosity.

The others looked at one another, before Harold spoke again, "Well, remember when I said we made an agreement not to talk about our experiences until we felt ready... well, with what happened to Rudy, he made us pinky swear not to say a word about it. Not until _he _was ready..."

"Oh..."

But honestly, Albert was starting to have a _pretty good _idea of what happened to Rudy. And it wasn't a nice idea either. He hoped it wasn't the case, but judging by the way everyone was dancing around the topic, it seemed to be the case.

All Albert could do was pray that if it _was_ the case, then Rudy would be able to recover from it.

That's when he saw the journal in front of him. Mush had pushed it forth, "Ib wroteb myb entry inb theb bookb..." He said.

"Okay, Mushmouth. I'll read it." The large boy said, taking the journal and reading with Mush wrote.

_'Dear Journal... we've all been through a lot. But I have to talk about Weird Harold. He was so brave._

_So we were in the basement. The man and woman had left, so we were alone. Everyone was sad, so I suggested that if we ever got out, we should go get some ice cream. That seemed to lift their spirits a little. I started to feel hot in the room until I saw what I thought could turn down the temperature. I got up to change it, but I ended up falling and hitting my neck, which is why I have this thing around it._

_The man and woman must have heard me, 'cause they came down to yell at us, wanting to know who was making the noise. I knew it was me, but I was afraid to speak up. I knew they would hurt me for it. But then, Harold spoke, saying it was him who made the noise. So... they hurt him instead. The man threw him to where he hurt his knee, and then the woman gave him a cut on the same leg with a knife. Blood was everywhere..._

_After that, they left and told us to be quiet. I asked Harold why he took the blame for me, and he said that he didn't want me to get hurt for something that wasn't my fault. I felt bad at first, but I had to admire my friend's bravery. He also said he'd do the same for the other dudes as well. He was willing to get hurt to protect us..._

_Harold was really the bravest of us all. I wish I was that brave. But I guess that his bravery was what helped us escape. Well, that's all for now. Until next time, Mushmouth.'_

After reading that entry, Albert smiled at Harold, "Mushmouth had some nice things to say about you, Harold. You were very brave when those people had you, hostage."

The tall boy blushed, "Well, someone had to be. I didn't want to be the one who lost my mind, so I decided to keep everything in check, and so the other dudes wouldn't lose their minds either."

"Andb Ib thankb youb forb being sob coolb..." Mush said as he hugged his friend.

"Aw, thanks..."

As the boys carried on with their day, the door opened, and Russell's parents walked in, "Russell, can we talk to you?" His father asked, "It's very important..."

Important?

The small child looked concerned, but nodded and met his parents outside. They closed the door so that nobody would hear their conversation. But the boys hoped that what Russell was being told.

It would be good news...

**And you won't find out what the news is until next chapter. Is it good? Is it bad? Who knows? You'll have to wait and see. As for this chapter, Mush really praises Harold for being the bravest out of all the boys during their captivity. Next chapter will be a bit of a causal one. No flashbacks or journal entries. Just a chapter to take a break from all of that. I'll see you guys later. And don't forget to review, please. Thank you!**


	9. Chapter 8: All Together Again

**Hey, dudes and dudettes. My other story, Gonna Have a Good Time Again, has come to an end. Which means I'll have more time to focus on this. But if you want to read GHATGA, be my guest. Anyways, it's time for another chapter of JOTN. This is gonna be a causal chapter. No flashbacks, no journal entries, just the guys hanging out together. I hope you're ready for fluff and friendship. There will be ONE intense moment, but you'll understand it if you've read the story up to now.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

Chapter 8: All Together Again

Whatever Russell's parent had to tell him was taking an eternity. The other boys were starting to wonder what was going on, that they couldn't help but put their ears to the do in order to hear something.

And they did... they heard sobbing... from Russell.

Slowly, the boys started to realize what the case was, "Oh no... you don't think Bill kicked the bucket, do you?" Harold asked.

"Don't let it be so..." Bucky whimpered.

"Hold on, dudes. We won't know for sure unless Russell tells us himself." Albert assured him, "Let's just wait."

And so, the boys went back to their table, and waited patiently for another few minutes, until Russell came back in, his head bowed. But from what Albert could see, there were tears streaming down his cheeks, "Russell... is everything okay...?" He asked.

The small child slowly lifted his head, "I... I have something to tell you..." He sobbed.

The gang gulped, fearing the absolute worse...

"Bill... he... he woke up!" He said with a smile, "He woke up this morning! It's a miracle..."

Bill woke up?

The guys then sighed in relief and made noises of happiness. Albert then hugged Russell, "That's great news, Russell. I knew he'd wake up sooner or later." He told him. Russell just hugged back.

"But if he's okay, how come you're crying?" Donald asked.

"Yeah, we thought he might have died," Harold added.

Albert smiled, "These are tears of joy, dudes. Russell's overwhelmed with happiness that his brother's gonna be okay." He explained as he rubbed the little boys back.

"A-And we can a-all go see him," Russell added.

The boys were definitely okay with that. Seeing their friend would definitely be a good thing to do, especially after everything that's happened. And they were sure Bill could use the visit.

And so, the boys walked down the hall of the hospital, following Barbara who was leading them there. After a few minutes, they ended up on the second floor of the building, as Barbara knocked on the door. Soon, a faint 'come in', was heard.

The door was opened, and the boys walked in to see their friend. Bill was lying down in his bed. No longer did he have countless wires and tubes attached to him, but an IV in his hand. A bandage remained on his head, and one on his left arm. He smiled to see his friends as he sat up a little, "Hey, dudes..." He greeted weakly.

Russell instantly ran up to hug his brother, but gently though as to not irritate his injuries, "I'm so glad you're awake..." He whispered, "I thought I would lose you..."

Bill chuckled as he wrapped his arms around the child, "No way, Rus... I'll always be here for you..."

"We're happy to see you awake, Bill..." Albert said, "How're you feeling?"

"Well, let's see. My head hurts, I'm hopped up on drugs, I'm pretty tired, but other than that, I'm fine, I guess..." Was his response, "I was more worried about you dudes. I had no idea if you were okay."

Harold looked down, "At least you're not in a wheelchair. Those dudes really messed up my leg."

"Yeah, I remember that..."

That's when Bill looked around the room, and noticed something odd, "Hey... where's Rudy?"

The other boys frowned at the mention of the rich boy, as Albert answered that, "Last we heard, he's on suicide watch."

"Suicide watch?" Bill asked in shock.

Harold nodded, "Yeah. He tried to do himself in a few times since we all came here. One time was by trying to swallow some pills. And the other was trying to jump off the roof of the hospital. So they're keeping an eye on him."

The Cosby boy shook his head, "Man... I guess I can't blame him, though. Who would want to live after getting-"

Russell shushed him, "Don't say it. We agreed not to talk about what happened to us until we felt ready."

"We did?"

"You must not remember..."

Albert spoke again, "Yeah. That's why I got the idea of writing in a journal. Since you dudes aren't ready to talk about your experiences out loud, you can write about it. Everyone has written in it, except for you and Rudy..."

Bill nodded, "I see... I guess I can write in it. But I dunno what to write."

"Anything that can help the police find the people who took you."

"Oh..." He shuddered, "They weren't caught?"

"They escaped." Harold replied, "And the police are looking for them."

"You guys will have to be interviewed soon about it, but for now, you can write about what happened while you were captive," Albert added.

"Well, I hope they get caught soon. I'd hate for anything like this to happen again... hey, Fat Albert. Drop that journal by sometime later. I wanna write in it when I get the chance."

Albert smiled as he already had the journal in hand as he set it down on the table next to the bed, "There it is for your writing pleasure. Whatever's on your mind, you can jot it down."

"Thanks, man."

"Hey, Bill. You wanna join us in the kids' room?" Russell asked, "You're probably bored being in this bed for so long..."

"If it's alright with the doctors," Bill replied.

Barbara nodded, "As long as you still have your IV, you can move around. Just be careful and be slow, as to not irritate your head."

"Right..."

Later on, Bill was able to join his friends in the room. It actually did feel good to not be stuck in bed, as he had been for the past few days in a coma. Miraculously, his memories still stayed intact. The trauma to his head didn't leave any signs of amnesia... just headaches and tiredness. He sat at the table, as they all began to wait for Rudy to arrive. Last they heard, he was calm again and should be coming any time now.

And to prepare, "Okay, dudes. When Rudy comes, let's act as normal as possible. Just treat it like a normal day. Don't bring up _anything _that might upset him..." Albert explained.

The boys nodded in agreement, even Russell, who would normally go against that, but with the situation they were in, he couldn't even attempt to crack a joke or sass. Not while Rudy was clearly still suffering.

As soon as Albert made that clear, they heard the door open, and Rudy was there, with a deep frown on his face, "Hey..." he greeted in an almost monotone voice. The guys were taken aback by his sudden demeanor, but they made no mention of it as Albert smiled, "Hey, hey, hey. How're you feeling, Rudy?"

The rich boy just gave a thumbs up as he slowly joined his friends at the table. That's when a doctor walked in, "Don't worry. We gave Rudolph some medicine to keep him calm. He's gonna feel a bit drugged for a while, but it's only a small dose." He explained.

Well, that explained things.

But still, it was a little unnerving to see Rudy in this state. But as long as he would be okay... then that's all that mattered. The doctor then came over to give the boys some papers, "Here is the menu for the restaurant. We can have someone bring you whatever you boys like."

The boys agreed to that. They could all use something to eat. And it would be nice to eat as a group for once. Soon, they all made their orders, and now all they had to do was wait for the food.

"So... are we still doing out for ice cream sometime?" Bucky asked.

"Ib wishb." Mush added.

"That would be a nice treat. When Bill, Rudy, and Harold are discharged, that it." Albert suggested.

Harold nodded, "Yeah. I can't wait 'til I get outta here. And when I can get out of this wheelchair too. It's cool to move around, but it sucks that I can't walk at the moment."

"At least you don't got no stitches all over ya body..." Donald spoke up, rolling up the sleeves of his sweater, "I don't feel like a freak anymore... but it still sucks."

"It's not so bad..." Russell admitted, "Soon, all of us will be free. And we can go back to the way things used to be... right, Fat Albert?"

The large boy smiled at the child, "Well, it's not gonna be an easy process, but I know things will become normal again, soon. When those people are brought into custody, and everyone will be safe again."

At the mere mention of the kidnappers, Rudy cringed a bit but said nothing. He was mostly staring... at something. But the gang just assumed it was from the medicine he took. The food eventually came, as the boys had ordered a variety of meals. From fries to burgers, to spaghetti, to salad, potatoes, and other stuff.

"This is like a Thanksgiving feast..." Bucky couldn't help but comment.

"Yeah, even though it's summer..." Donald added.

With that, the kids began to dig in. For the first time in a while, they felt happy. They were all together again and having a good time. Or well, it seemed that way. The only one not eating or saying anything... was Rudy... all he did was stare at his food, which Albert soon noticed.

The rich boy seemed to have this deep scowl on his face as if he were disgusted by what was on his plate. He just... sat there... not doing anything but staring. Soon, the other boys started to notice this as well.

"Rudy... are you okay?" Albert asked out of concern.

Rudy didn't answer.

"It must be that medicine..." Bill whispered, "It's making him zone out..."

"Maybe. But he should eat something..." Albert replied, before calling the rich boy again, "Rudy... are you hungry?"

Still no answer... except for Rudy turning his head towards an item on the table. Everyone else followed his movement... and saw that he was staring... at a knife. It was that moment where Albert realized what the deal was... and what was about to happen.

"Rudy, NO!"

Everything from that moment seemed to go by so fast... yet so slow at the same time. Rudy swiftly grabbed the knife and aimed it at his own throat. He would have stabbed himself right then and there... if it weren't for Albert, and some of the other boys, making a grab for the knife. The whole process knocked nearly everyone to the floor, as a struggle to keep Rudy from killing himself was on.

"No! No! Let me go!" The boy snarled as he kept a tight grip on the knife, the others trying to reach for it, "Let me DIE!"

"Don't do this, Rudy! You have so much to live for!" Albert tried telling him.

"I have NOTHING to live for anymore!"

After what felt like an eternity, the boys were able to restrain their friend. Bill and Donald had him pinned to the floor, while Albert was able to pry the knife out of his hands. Rudy struggled violently, screaming and sobbing, "Why won't you dudes just let me DIE?!" He wailed.

"Bucky, get the nurse, doctor, anybody! Russell, put away the utensils so Rudy can't find them." Albert instructed the preteen and child respectively, who nodded and did as told.

"Cool it, Rudy. You ain't gonna solve anything taking your own life." Bill told him.

Rudy growled at him, "Screw you! You have no idea what the hell I've been through! I'm a fucking mess! I'm a pathetic excuse for a human being! I don't deserve to be on this planet!"

"But we do know, Rudy. We were there too, remember...?" Harold reminded him.

"Y-Y-Yeah... but you... you weren't... the one who..."

Rudy wasn't able to finish his sentence as he just broke down into uncontrollable sobbing and wailing, as he ceased his struggling. Bill and Donald released their grip on them (assuming it was okay to do so), and Albert took the broken boy in his arms and hugged him, "It's gonna be okay, Rudy... we're here for you..." He soothes, rubbing his friends back softly.

"T-T-Those b-b-bastards... t-t-those fucking b-bastards..." He heard Rudy curse, though it was muffled as his face was buried into Albert's sweater, "I hate them... I hate them so much..."

"I understand. I don't know too much about what happened to you... but I can tell it was bad..."

The rich boy just continued to cry. Seeing Rudy is such a state was heartbreaking for the boys, even for Russell too. They were kidnapped, went through a lot of Hell, but Rudy got the worst of it. For what it was worth, they didn't blame him for cursing as he did right then.

Bucky soon returned with a nurse, who came in with a syringe, "Rudy... let me give you some more medicine." She offered softly.

But the boy recoiled, pulling away from Albert and curling up into a ball, shaking in fear, "No... no more... I hate that stuff."

"I know, sweetie. But let me give you a dose to calm you down..."

As reluctant as Rudy was, he eventually gave in and allowed the nurse to inject the medicine in his arm. He found that it was a good thing, as later on, he started to feel a little better. Albert offered him to write in the journal about what happened, but he was still uninterested in doing so.

Later that night...

"Bill... what was it like being in a coma...?" Russell asked as he sat on his brother's bed, "I mean, it's like being asleep, right?"

"I guess so..." Bill nodded, "I can't remember what I dreamed about, though. But it's like being in a long sleep."

"Like Sleeping Beauty?"

"Yeah..."

The brothers were getting some alone time before Russell had to go home with their parents. Bill was to stay behind at the hospital to be monitored and to run tests on his head trauma. Russell was still reluctant about his brother, but he knew the doctors knew what they were doing. And soon, he, Harold, and Rudy would be out of the hospital.

Speaking of Rudy... that brought back memories of what happened earlier.

"Bill... you think Rudy will be okay?" The small boy asked, "I mean, after what happened today... I feel bad for him."

"Really? You feel bad for the 'no class' jerk?" Bill asked teasingly, "I mean, I feel bad for him too. But I'm surprised that you do..."

"Let's be real. Rudy may be the most obnoxious boy in the world, but he didn't deserve what happened to him. Those people didn't have any right. And now he's scared for life..."

"You mean _scarred _for life..."

"Right..."

Bill placed a hand on his little brother's shoulder, "You're right. This is something Rudy isn't gonna get over for a while. But, he has his folks, us, these doctors and nurses to help him out. He'll be fine, with some therapy and reassurance."

"We all could use some therapy after what we went through..."

"I heard one of the doctors talking about setting us up with some sessions with the hospital therapist."

Russell smiled softly, thankful for that. And also thankful to be talking to his brother again, with this time, he can respond, "Bill, I'm glad you're awake. I dunno what I'd do if you were still in a coma."

Bill smiled back, "I'm just happy you're still kicking, Rus. I knew what I was doing pushing you outta the way of that hammer, but I wanted to keep my kid brother safe. That's a promise I made after what happened between you and Rudy last summer."

The small boy shuddered at _that _memory, "Yeah. Thanks for the reminder of that... but, you'll never leave again... will you?"

"No way, man. I'll always be here for you. Even when I get old and die... I'll always be there for you. Whether in person, in thought, or within your heart... remember that, okay?"

"I will..."

With that, the brothers shared a tender and loving hug. Little did they know, was that their parents were standing in the doorway, watching this moment with smiles.

**Aww. Wasn't that sweet? Bill woke up finally and has a moment with his brother. But poor Rudy, though. He's still having issues, but luckily he has his friends for comfort. Next chapter, since Bill's okay, it'll be his turn to write in the journal, since Albert left it with him. All I can say is, his entry will focus on Russell since the little guys' entry was focused on him. Until then, I hope you enjoyed this nice little chapter. I'll see you guys later. And as always, don't forget to review, please. Thank you. **


	10. Chapter 9: Spare the Rod

**Hey guys, peeps! It's time for yet another chapter of JOTN. Today, we're getting Bill's first entry and flashback now that he's awoken from his coma. And as stated before, his entry will focus on his little brother. I hope you enjoy!**

**Warning: Contains flashback of more child abuse... yeah, you get it by now.**

Chapter 9: Spare the Rod

After Russell left with his parents, Bill just lied in his bed. He was recounting all the events that went on. He, his brother, and their friends getting kidnapped, being tortured for nearly two weeks, and then getting rescued. But he was stuck asleep for most of that time. When he awoke, he was surprised that he remembered anything at all.

With the blow he received to his head, he was sure some amnesia would happen. But no... he remembered everything.

And now... the boys were safe. But the kidnappers were still at large... that made him wary. He didn't show it out loud, but he was afraid of them possibly finding him and his friends again. That couldn't happen again! They wouldn't be able to handle it...

Thinking about the moments... brought back the actual captivity. Which brought back a memory which he swore would stick in his mind for life...

Bill looked over to his table to see the journal Albert left for him to write in. He grabbed it and looked at the previous entries. He read Russell's, and couldn't help blush. His remembered how his brother stood up for Rudy that day. It was the day they were rescued.

But now, _he _had to say regarding his brother.

So with a pencil in hand, he turned the page and began to write...

"Dear Journal... I've been in a coma for the past few days, so I haven't been able to write anything down yet. But now that I'm awake, I want to write about a moment from being kidnapped that I don't think I'll _ever _forget. It involves my brother, Russell..."

_Bill had tried and failed, to get his little brother to eat what the people brought him. But Russell just refused it all. The salty oatmeal, the raw meat, everything. He just would not stomach any of it, no matter how much it **didn't **taste bad. The small boy was insisted that the couple was trying to win them over, so he didn't want to fall for their tricks._

_And while Bill admired his brother strong will, he still didn't want him to starve..._

_Soon, the bowl and plate were near empty, as Bill hoped that Russell would at least eat something. But that's when that man and woman came back down, "Did you boys enjoy your meal?" Gabe asked._

_The boys nodded... all except for Russell, who turned away_. _Gabe was about to take the bowl, before he noticed something, "Hey... why the hell is the bowl still full? Who didn't eat?" He demanded._

_All the boys kept silent, but the man was quick to figure out who the unlucky one was just by looking at each and every one of them. Once his eyes laid upon Russell, he growled, "You! Why didn't you eat anything?"_

_The small child glared at the man, "Because I don't want ANYTHING you have to offer. You think you can try and make us respect you by feeding us and stuff! Well, it's not gonna work on me! Because you're NOT my Dad!"_

_"Why you little?"_

_He then grabbed the boy by the shirt collar, startling him. Bill wanted to reach out for his brother, but he knew doing so would not be a smart boy. Bella shook her head, "I see one of our boys want to be bad, Gabey. Let me handle him. I know the perfect punishment for rotten little brats with **that **attitude."_

_With that, the man handled Russell to his wife. But the boy wasn't intimidated in the least, "You don't scare me!" He exclaimed._

_But Bella just smirked, "Not yet I don't..."_

_She then unlocked the chains on his ankle, before walking over to a chair (along with some other items from a table), pulling it in front of the rest of the boys. She sat down and forced Russell over her lap. It was then that he and the others were starting to realize what was about to happen. Russell's eyes went wide as he felt his pants being pulled to his knees._

_"No! No! Wait! Don't! Don't give me a whoopin'! I'll be good! I'll be good!"_

_But the woman just chuckled, "Sorry, Russell. But when you're bad, you pay the price."_

_With that said..._

_**SMACK!**_

_Her hand raised, yet came down just as quick, right down on Russell's bare backside. Bill cringed when he heard the smack, and cringed worse when he heard the loud cry of pain his brother let out. Unfortunately, the small child didn't have time to recover, as another swat peppered him, and another... and another..._

_**SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!**_

_The other boys were too getting uncomfortable watching Russell get tanned badly. Most of them can remember receiving this type of punishment at the hands of their parents when they were younger or knew someone who had. So, seeing it happen to someone else triggered some unpleasant memories._

_But for Bill, as he heard every swat, and every cry of pain from Russell, a piece of his heart broke for his brother. He and Russell had only been spanked once each in their lives, but it was only a few swats and that's it. Now, it looked like Bella wasn't going to stop this anytime soon._

_He wanted to stop her. To save his brother. But he knew doing so could very well land him in the same position._

_As for poor Russell, he was starting to cry as the hand swatted on his bottom harder and harder with every strike. His bottom was starting to become a deep shade of red in only a matter of minutes._

_**SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!**_

_Five minutes had passed, and Bella was still swatting away. At one point, she switched from her hand to a paddle, and after another five minutes, switched to a belt, which left the worse of it. Bill looked closer and could see that blood was starting to leak from his brother's bottom. His cries of pain became worse. This WHOLE THING was becoming worse!_

_Bill couldn't take it anymore._

_"STOP! You're hurting him!" He said, "Can't you see he's bleeding?!"_

_Suddenly, Gabe came over to grab him by the throat, "Do you wanna be next, boy?!" he seethed._

_The older Cosby boy would have said yes if only this crazy woman to stop assaulting his brother. But the fear of being in that position made him shake his head instead._

_"Then you better keep your mouth SHUT and let your Mommy punish your brother!"_

_The man threw the teenager back onto the floor, as Bella continued to pepper Russell's backside. After **ten **minutes... she had stopped, shoving the child onto the floor (and unfortunately on his bottom) as she stood up, "Now... are you gonna be a good boy and eat what we feed you?" She asked sinisterly._

_Russell was crying hard, but he managed a nod and somber "Y-Y-Y-Y-Yes, M-M-M-Mommy..."_

_The woman smiled cheerfully, "Good! You wanna grow to be big and strong. So you need to eat."_

_Gabe then brought the bowl of 'salty oatmeal', "And since you didn't eat it the first time..."_

_He grabbed Russell and shoved the child's face into the bowl. Bill felt his blood boiling up in rage. These people were seriously hurting his brother, and he couldn't do a thing about it unless he wanted to suffer the same fate. He heard poor Russell gagging and coughing before his face was pulled up, covered in the strange food._

_"Let that be a lesson to you mugs!" The man warned the other boys, "Eat what we feed you! If not, then you pay the price! Got it?!"_

_Again, he received quick nods of understanding. The evil couple was now satisfied as they began to leave, walking up the stairs of the basement, "It's time for sleep, my little angels..." Bella said, blowing a kiss, "We'll see you tomorrow morning..."_

_With that, they were gone, locking the door in the process._

_There was silence, save for Russell's small sobs of pain. Bill immediately grabbed his brother and pulled him closer to where he could hug him, "Are you okay, Rus?" He asked with concern._

_"N-N-No..." Was the child's response, "M-M-My butt hurts..."_

_At that mention, Bill took the chance to look at said butt (his pants were still pulled down) and winced. It was completely red, throbbing, and there were small cuts where blood was leaking. Seeing it only infuriated him more. Not even a day here and those people proved to be monsters in his eyes. He wanted to teach them a thing or two, but for now, all he could do was rub his brother's back soothingly._

_"It's... it's gonna be okay, Rus." He assured him, "I don't let those people touch you again... I promise..."_

_"I hate it here..." Russell whimpered, "I wanna go home!"_

_"I know. I do too. We all do. But for now, we just have to wait until someone finds us. If we tried to escape, those two would definitely catch us..."_

_From that night on, the boys tried to get some sleep. The other boys offered to help treat Russell, by cleaning the cuts. Afterward, it was a long and uncomfortable first night of captivity for them._

"Poor Russell was completely in pain. But I was glad it was over. From then on, I vowed to keep my brother safe from that awful couple. And I guess, in the end, it paid off. Well, that's all for now. If I have anything else to say, I'll be here. Sincerely, Bill."

After finishing his entry, Bill closed the journal. To be honest, having to recall that moment hurt. Watching his Russell get his hide tanned, and he couldn't do anything to stop the assault. It was that moment that prompted him to take that blow for Russell on the last day of captivity. What he didn't tell anybody, was in doing so, he had the whooping scene in his mind at the time...

And it was worth it. Russell was doing okay. Not great. But okay. And that was all that mattered to him. He was able to keep his brother from getting any major damage, aside from what he learned was a twisted wrist, but other than that... he was fine...

With that in mind, Bill decided to go to bed finally, happy and content with his good deeds...

The next day...

"No! Not again!" Harold groaned as Donald laughed in triumph. They were playing a game of checkers in the children's room, and right now, Donald was having a winning streak of ten out of twenty.

And that was annoying Harold to no end, "How can someone with 'Dumb' in his name be so good at checkers?" He asked in disbelief.

"It's not a hard game, really..." Was the knitted cap wearing boy's response with a shrug.

"But it's a game full of strategy! Something you lack!"

"What's strategy?"

"Exactly!"

The others couldn't help but laugh at the back and forth. They too were curious of how Donald was good at checkers. But perhaps the dimwitted boy had some hidden depths. Nevertheless, it was funny to see Harold losing his mind over this.

Bill had once again joined his friends and brought back the journal to Albert, who went about reading it while everyone was busy having fun and playing games.

_'Dear Journal... I've been in a coma for the past few days, so I haven't been able to write anything down yet. But now that I'm awake, I want to write about a moment from being kidnapped that I don't think I'll ever forget. It involves my brother, Russell..._

_It was on the night we got kidnapped. Those people fed us this weird looking food, but honestly, it didn't taste bad at all. Russell didn't want to eat any of it, because he didn't want those people to play nice. I admire that he wanted to be strong, but I didn't want my little brother to starve to death. I tried to get him to eat, but he just kept refusing. The man and lady came back, and they quickly figured out that Russell didn't eat, and he sassed them in return._

_That's when the woman decided that Russell needed to be punished. And punish him with what had to be the mother of all whoopings. Poor Rus' butt was red and bleeding by the time she was done. I tried to intervene once, but I was shut down and threatened. Although I would have much rather be in Russell's spot, I was too nervous. After the lady was done, the man shoved Russell's face in the bowl, before warning us of what would happen if we didn't eat._

_Once they left, I tended to my brother. Poor Russell was completely in pain. But I was glad it was over. From then on, I vowed to keep my brother safe from that awful couple. And I guess, in the end, it paid off. Well, that's all for now. If I have anything else to say, I'll be here. Sincerely, Bill'_

Albert had to admit. Both Cosby brothers were strong boys. They were willing to be dealt the worse, no matter the consequences. And Bill wanted to keep his brother safe... and he did in a way.

And now, everyone had written in the journal... all except for Rudy.

Speaking of whom, Albert saw the rich boy just sitting in the corner of the room, staring out the window. He wondered if he was ready to write an entry yet... but judging by how he was yesterday... he probably wasn't.

But still, Albert was determined to get him to write. It would help him... it would help all of them...

**So Bill had to witness his brother getting a brutal beating at the hands (and paddle and belt) of Bella, and that was what made him vow to protect them as long as they were stuck in that basement. It came at a heavy price, as we all know, but it was all worth it in the end. Now, Rudy's the only one left who hasn't written in the journal yet. He's still reluctant as of now, but his will come soon. Possibly the next chapter, as there will be a time skip. Until then, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'll see you guys later. And don't forget to review, please. Thank you!**


	11. Chapter 10: Damaged

**Well... here it is. I did some thinking, and yeah, Rudy's getting his journal entry in TODAY. Still, there will be a bit of the time skip, but it's here. And let me tell ya, Rudy's flashback and entry will be the most TRAGIC out of all the boys. You'll finally see why he has been so reluctant to write in it. And if you've been following the story, you might already know why. Now... let's get on with the story.**

**Warning: Chapter contains flashbacks and descriptions of more child abuse and sexual assault of a minor. Turn back NOW if you can't handle this kind of stuff. Otherwise, you have been warned.**

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OC's.

Chapter 10: Damaged

Rudy Davis... he was a strong teenager.

... Emphasis on the word was...

After the kidnapping of him and his friends, he felt nothing more of a broken shell of his former self. He felt pathetic... he felt worthless. He felt like he didn't belong on this planet anymore.

He really wanted to die right now...

But there was something keeping him from doing so...

... His pride...

As weak as he felt, he didn't want anybody to see himself as a coward. He knew that trying to kill himself would affect everyone around him. His friends, his family, and himself as a whole. He didn't want to bring heartbreak to anybody. He was Rudolph Davis, damn it! And he wasn't afraid of anything!

Until after what those people... did to him.

But needless to say, one thing he wasn't doing to do, was write in that dumb journal that Albert kept pestering him about. Albert wanted Rudy to write about his feelings, as it would help him. But the rich boy continued to refuse, to the point where he told Albert to take the journal and 'shove it up his fat ass'.

However, Albert wasn't going to give up that easily.

A few days, three to be exact had passed for the boys. Harold was getting better at physical therapy. Bill was getting well to where he would soon be ready to go home. As for Rudy... well, his mental state seems to remain unchanging. He continued to have breakdowns and suicide attempts, but at the same time, they weren't as bad as before.

All boys found themselves in the children's room again, just talking among themselves. From what they knew, the therapy sessions the doctor's set up would be happening all next week. Albert was glad of that, as it would help his friends talk about their feelings... and hopefully, it would do good for Rudy... who was just sitting off to the side.

If only he could be happy now...

The room the boys were in had a dry erase board, like a classroom, would have. It was clean now, but it started to give Albert an idea of a way to have fun, "Hey, hey, hey, dudes. See that board over there? Why don't we go and draw on it? Y'know, for fun?"

The others looked at one another, before nodding. They were starting to get bored with just talking anyway. And so, they left the table and stood in front of the board. Grabbing some markers in different colors, they began to draw whatever was on their mind. Russell had to sit on his brother's shoulders since he was too short to reach the board himself.

Soon, the board was filled with drawings of birds, boats, the clubhouse, the Brown Hornet, and other stuff. But it was then that Albert realized that Rudy was the only one NOT drawing. He was still sitting down, "Wanna join us, Rudy?" The large boy asked.

Rudy glared at him and shook his head. Seeing that glare and not wanting to bother him further, Albert nodded in understanding. But... if he didn't want to draw... he could... write.

So, Albert walked over to the table to pick up the journal, before walking over to Rudy, who noticed him instantly and stood up, "No! Don't even try it, Fat Albert! I keep telling you, I don't want to write in that stupid journal!"

"But Rudy. It'll help you get out your feelings..." Albert urged him, "You can't just keep it all to yourself..."

But all the rich boy did was turn his back towards his friend, who continued to urge him on, "Please, Rudy... I don't know much of what happened to you, but it'll help if you just write-"

"FUCK YOU!" Rudy screamed, facing Albert with a glare of death... and tears streaming down his cheeks. The outburst startled everyone in the room, as the other boys turned to see what was going on.

"You really wanna know what happened to me when those bastards had us?!" The rich boy asked loudly, "You're really ITCHING to know?! Well, I have news for you, Fat Albert! Not everyone wants to write in a damn journal to recount those types of moments! We ALL went through complete and utter HELL! But everything that happened... it was nothing... and I mean NOTHING ... compared to what happened to ME! And you want me to remember all of that just for the sake of writing in a FREAKING BOOK?!"

He stopped for a moment to catch his breath and let out a few sobs. Albert reached to rub his shoulder, while the others watched, knowing exactly what Rudy was going through.

After a few seconds, Rudy blurted out.

"I WAS RAPED!"

Silence...

Silence followed that outburst. Albert was horrified, but at the same time, not too surprised, since he figured that was the truth judging by now everyone was acting about it earlier. Still, he hoped that wasn't what happened... but now, it was too true.

"Oh, Rudy... I'm sorry that happened to you..." He said softly.

Rudy in response crouched down in a fetal position, shaking and crying uncontrollably. That sight broke something inside everyone else. Russell left out a few sobs of his own as Bill held him. Donald sniffed a bit. Harold took Mush's hand for comfort, while Bucky shook his head. This was just as hard for them, as they had to witness what happened.

As for Albert, he bent down to pull Rudy in a hug, allowing the boy to cry as long as he wanted. They stayed like that for about ten minutes, until Rudy felt calm again.

"They raped me... more than once..." He sobbed, "Both of them. The man and woman. The lady had this... dildo she put on... to do it... i-i-it was fucking a-a-awful... I-I-I n-never f-felt s-s-such p-pain before in my LIFE!"

Albert nodded, "I know... it won't be easy to recover from something like that... but once those people are caught, I'm sure they won't be doing that to another child..."

"I-I-I felt dirty... I felt... like a sick boy!"

"What do you mean-"

Suddenly, Rudy pulled away from Albert and stood up, pulling up his vest and sweater, revealing his sweater. Albert took a closer look and gasped at what he saw.

Carved into Rudy's stomach... was some of the crudest words ever.

**SLUT**

**WHORE**

**HOE**

**PROSTITUTE**

**BITCH**

**FUCK BOY**

**PUSSY**

Again, the others weren't surprised to see that, because they were there to witness what happened. Albert frowned. This was worse than he thought. No wonder Rudy didn't want to write anything... no wonder he was so... broken.

"These words... they describe me perfectly!" Rudy cried, "I'm a slut, whore, pussy! Everything is true! I don't belong on this planet! I'm a disgrace to my family and friends."

Albert grabbed Rudy by the shoulders and held him close, "That's not true, Rudy. You're none of those things. That man and woman were trying to mess with your mind. You're much more than what they tried to make you out to be. You're Rudolph Davis. You're strong. I know this is going to be a lot to get over... but you got me, the dudes, your parents, the doctors, nurses, and other people to help you out... you're not alone..."

"Yeah..." Bill spoke up, walking towards the boy, holding Russell's hand, "You got us for support. And believe me when I say this, it's just as hard for us as it is for you, Rudy."

Russell nodded, "Yeah. You might have gotten hurt, but we were the ones watching it happen."

"In a way... we felt hurt too..." Harold added as he wheeled over, "In fact, whenever one of us got hurt and we had to watch, it was just hard. We were all suffering just as bad."

"And none of us can really get over it yet..." Bucky also added, "So don't think you're the only one who was truly hurt..."

Rudy took a moment to let all of that sink in. He realized... they were right. They all suffered from abuse at the hands of that nasty couple. And while he got it the worst, they felt just as bad as he did.

"And another thing, Rudy... when you guys went missing for all those days... I felt hurt." Albert admitted, "I didn't know what happened to you, and I kept worrying whether or not I'd see you all again. But when you were found, it was like a big weight was taken off my shoulders."

"Then it couldn't have been a whole lotta weight..." Harold joked a bit.

The others chuckled a little, even Rudy, who, for the first time in a long time, smiled, "... Thanks, dudes. You know, you may be annoying at times... but I love ya all... I really do..."

"Can't say the same for you, Rudy..." Russell replied with snark.

"If I weren't mourning the loss of my virginity right now, I'd clobber you..."

At that moment, it seemed that everyone was back to the way things were before. But they knew it would still take a while. Rudy looked over at the journal on the floor and realized... maybe he did have something to write about, "Hey, Fat Albert... let me see that book... I think I'm ready to write in it."

The large boy smiled, "Be my guest..."

With that, he took the book, and then walked out of the room, in order to get some peace and concentration, while the others resumed drawing on the board. The boy walked down the hall, until, he found a big window at the end of it. Rudy sat on the sill and opened the book. Curious, he quickly read the others entries, before he started on his own.

Taking a deep breath, he began to write. He was still uncertain of recalling the moments of his assault, but as the others said, it would help get out his feelings...

"Dear, Journal. It's me, Rudy. I've tried to stay as far away from you as possible, but I guess my pride brought me here. So, me and my friends have been through a lot of Hell when we were kidnapped by that bastard and bitch. I know I shouldn't curse, but I'm not in a good mood right now, so deal with it..."

_It was day six of being held captive. The boys just sat in the corner of the basement... bored out of their minds. Not a lot happened within the first five days. Aside from getting beaten on their backs, eaten weird food, and Russell getting whooped for not eating said food... it wasn't a whole lot._

_The man and woman came in from time to time, bringing them food, and messing around with them, but other than that, it was a slow week. Rudy sighed as he leaned his back against the wall, wincing from the scars from the beating._

_"Man... who would've thought being kidnapped would be soooo boring...?" He asked, "I'm not asking those people to torture us... but I wanna do something... anything to pass the time."_

_"We better be glad they haven't come and tortured us..." Bill surprised, "We're actually lucky. I think it's because we've been good and well behaved, that they haven't hurt us anymore. Maybe if we keep it up, they'll let us go eventually."_

_Russell frowned, "I doubt it... those people are mean..."_

_"I know..."_

_"Well, we better keep up the good behavior. If we do, maybe we'll get something good..." Donald suggested, "L-Like cake..."_

_Everyone nodded. The cake did sound pretty good right about now. But Rudy was still wanting to do SOMETHING. If it meant him not dying of boredom. Unfortunately, his wish would come true... and not in a good way._

_The door to the basement opened again, and the man and woman walked in. The looks they had on their faces were... unnerving, to say the least. There was a sinister... yet creepy vibe. And Rudy was the only one sensing it... and he wasn't liking it._

_"Hello, boys..." Gabe greeted the kids, "How are you this fine afternoon...?"_

_The boys didn't answer, but just nodded or gave a big thumbs up. Bella giggled, "That's good. Because we're gonna play a little game. But only one of you gets to join in, while the rest just watch..."_

_With that explanation, the boys watched as Gabe brought over a table... with metal shackles on it. That made them shiver a little in fear of whatever was about to happen. Bella looked over the kids very carefully... until she pointed at one, "You! Stand up, cutie."_

_Rudy gulped. But something caused him to do as told. He slowly stood as the woman smirked, "Do me a favor, Rudolph. And take off your pants..."_

_"... WHAT?!"_

_"You heard me. Take off your pants. For Mommy."_

_He had no idea what she wanted him to do that for, but to avoid being hit or something, he did as told, lowering his bell bottom jeans to his ankles. As soon as that was done, he was dragged from the corner and thrown into the table. From there, his jeans and underwear were removed completely, as his boots and socks remained. Gabe forced the teen onto the table and strapped him in._

_Rudy was starting to get scared as he struggled a little, especially since his legs were spread wide, "W-W-What's going on? W-What are you gonna do to me?" He asked, blushing from embarrassment._

_The wicked grins on the couple became more wicked as Bella spoke, "We're gonna show you how to be a man, Rudolph..."_

_"Huh...?"_

_"She's right..." Gabe added, reached down to unbuckle his belt and unzip his pants, "You seem to be one of the strong ones... so we're gonna test that theory..."_

_Rudy's eyes went wide as the man pulled out his member. It was large. Larger than anything he's seen. The other gasped in horror as Bill covered Russell's eyes to prevent him from seeing the private part._

_But for Rudy, he was starting to realize what was about to happen..._

_And it made him scream!_

_"NO! NOOOO! PLEASE DON'T! NOT THAT! ANYTHING BUT THAT! PLEASE, NO!" He begged._

_The only response he got was cruel laughter. Gabe then shoved his thing into Rudy's face, "Suck it..." He demanded._

_Rudy refused by turning his head, but that didn't stop the man, as he grabbed the boy and forced his member into his mouth. Rudy gagged and choked as he tried to pull back, but then Gabe put his hand behind the boys head and force it down his throat deeper._

_The others watched with extreme discomfort. Of all the things they thought could happen while they were kidnapped, sexual assault was not even on the list of sais things. And the worst part, they knew none of them could help Rudy, for fear of getting hurt as well. So, all they could do was watch the scene unfold right in front of them._

_As for poor Rudy though, all he could do was gag and cry as the member was forced down his throat deeper and deeper every second. No matter how hard he struggled, he could not escape. The shackles holding him were too strong, and Gabe was even stronger. Soon, he began to suffocate the boy violently, pushing his face into his lap._

_While this was going on, Rudy had no idea of what Bella was planning, as he was busy getting deep throated. That's why it came to be a surprise when he felt something being shoved inside his behind. His screams of pain were muffled. He had no knowledge of what was happening._

_But the others knew. They were horrified as Bella was wearing a strap on toy, a rather large one, and shoved herself fully inside of Rudy, stretching him to the fullest he could be stretched. And it wasn't long before the woman started thrusting inside the hole, laughing when she saw a red substance leak out._

_"I want you boys to watch!" Gabe demanded, "If you even close one eye, I'll slit your throats."_

_The boys gulped, nodding quickly. Bill reluctant took his hands away from Russell's face, as the little boy was now forced to watch what was in front of him. And when he saw it, he wished Bill would cover his eyes again._

_Again and again, the man's sack crashed against Rudy's face, all while the dildo slammed into his anus at the same time. He had never felt so violated in his life. He couldn't escape. He was forced to endure this torture for God knows how long..._

_Gabe groaned in pleasure as he face fucked the teenager. He wouldn't stop until he had that feeling... that feeling of goodness. Though it wouldn't so good for his victim. Bella was feeling the same way, having a toy that allowed senses of feeling. She too wouldn't stop until she felt the pleasure of a lifetime. She even grabbed Rudy's member and squeezed it, causing the boy to emit a small moan._

_After about four minutes, both of them felt that feeling. Rudy screamed as he felt a salty liquid rush down his throat. He once again tried to pull away, but couldn't until every last drop was emptied out of the man's member._

_As for Bella, she started to pant, before pulling her toy out of Rudy, "That was fun... wasn't it, Gabey...?"_

_"It sure was, dear..." Was the husband's reply, as he finally pulled his member out of Rudy's mouth. The rich boy began to cough, spit, and sob from the disgusting taste. He took several deep breaths of relief. The others also sighed. They were done... they were actually done..._

_Until..._

_"It's time for round two, Bella. Let's switch!"_

_SWITCH!_

_Rudy began to panic as the couple switched sides. Now he truly knew what was about to happen. He began to struggle again wildly, but again, he just could not get away this no matter how hard he tried. He looked up at Gabe, who had an even more sinister look on his face. Rudy just whimpered in fear with pleading eyes..._

_But... those eyes did no good._

_Soon, the rich boy felt more severe pain..._

_If the other boys could describe the scream Rudy let out at that moment... well, they would only one word. Agony. That is how they would describe it. Because that's the only word they could use to know what Rudy was feeling at the moment._

_The poor boy was crying and wailing as he was violently claimed. He felt the man roughly thrusting inside of him hard and fast. So hard and fast, that he was rocking the table a bit. Bella smiled when she heard the boy's screams before she went and shoved her dildo in his mouth to silence him, "Taste ass, sweetheart!"_

_Again, Rudy was choking and being screwed at the same time. Only it was worse this time around. He ceased his struggling, realizing that he couldn't get away from this at all. He sat as still as possible, forced to be a sex slave to these awful people._

_It seemed to last much longer than before. The table was soaked with wetness and blood, but it only made Gabe go harder with his thrusts. That's when he decided to have some more fun. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small pocket knife. When he pressed a button to release the blade, Rudy paled at the sight of it._

_In a swift move, the boy felt his sweater being lifted up. Bella had ceased deep throating him so he could see what was doing on, "No... no... please... don't do whatever you're doing to do..." He begged, tears streaming down his cheeks like a waterfall._

_Gabe chuckled evilly, "Don't worry... we're getting to the last past very soon..."_

_With that said, he thrust much harder, before he groaned and released his seed into poor Rudy. When that happened, the rich boy felt.. like his pride and spirit was broken. After about thirty seconds, he pulled away, before walking over to the side of the table (Rudy's left), and aimed the knife at his stomach. No matter how much he begged... it wouldn't change the man's mind._

_Soon, Rudy felt his stomach being cut up badly as he screamed at the top of his lungs. The cutting seemed to last for an eternity... and when the man stopped... a bloody mess was left..._

_Bella walked over with a wet cloth and mirror, wiped away dripping blood. And from the mirror, Rudy saw words he never thought he'd see on his stomach. Dirty words that were carved into him..._

_"Just thought we'd give you some tattoos to mark what you truly are, you little **slut**..." Gabe snickered._

_"Yes. You're our little **whore**..." Bella added._

_"We can tell you were kinda enjoying our fun like the little **hoe** you are..."_

_"I wouldn't be surprised if you grow up to be a male **prostitute**."_

_"You're a pathetic **bitch**! I'm sure you're friends are ashamed of you."_

_"Silly little **fuck boy**..."_

_"And you're crying like a little **pussy** too? How stupid...?"_

_Those words hurt Rudy deeply. He felt broken... he felt violated... he felt... damaged._

_Damaged was the best (and in a way worse) way to describe how he was feeling right now. All he could do was cry as he was still strapped to the table, while his friends watched with sorrow, and the nasty couple laughing cruelly..._

"And that was when Donald pissed his pants. But yeah, those people are the worst. I really felt like I was worthless. But according to my friends, I'm not... I still got stuff to look forward to in life... so I hope all of this misery can be over soon. So... bye, Rudy..."

By the time Rudy had finished his entry, tears were falling onto the pages. He closed the book and sighed. Perhaps Albert was right, and he needed to get some of his thoughts out by writing about it. He remained sitting on the window sill for quite some time... until Albert came by to check on him, "Hey, hey, hey. You doing okay?" he asked.

"A little better than before, I guess..." Was the rich boy's response, "You were right... writing about it really did help. Keeping it to myself did nothing, so... thank you..."

Albert smiled, "No problem..."

"Well... here you go. Read what I had to say..."

He then gave the large boy the journal, and in return, Albert sat next to him and began to read his entry...

_'Dear, Journal. It's me, Rudy. I've tried to stay as far away from you as possible, but I guess my pride brought me here. So, me and my friends have been through a lot of Hell when we were kidnapped by that bastard and bitch. I know I shouldn't curse, but I'm not in a good mood right now, so deal with it..._

_We had been in that basement for six days at this point. And to be honest, I was getting bored. I was hoping for something to do, just so I wouldn't be bored. Not a whole lot happened for the past five days. We got the skin off our backs whipped, we ate some strange food, and Russell got his ass beat for refusing to eat it. Again, sorry for the swearing, but I'm just in that mood._

_That man and woman came back, and said we were going to play a game... only one of us would play, though. The lady chose me out of everybody and told me to take off my pants..._

_I'm sorry, WHAT?! Why would she ask me to do that? But, I didn't want to be hit, so I did as told. The man put me on a table and strapped me to it. I was getting really nervous... until I saw the man whip out his dick. Then I realized I was about to get raped. I begged him not to do it, and all I got in response was a mouth full of dick. I was throat fucked for a good ten minutes, and at the same time, his crazy wife was fucking me in the ass with a dildo!_

_It felt like an eternity. I honestly thought that I was going to choke to death. He filled my mouth with his filthy cum. And I won't sugarcoat it, it tasted like shit. Like, literal shit. Don't ask me how I know what shit tastes like. But anyways, just when I thought they were done with me... they decided to switch positions. Now, I had a dick in my ass and a dildo in my mouth._

_I felt... like I was going to pass out. The pain I felt was nothing like I felt before. Not even getting whipped in the back a few days before was THIS BAD compared to what was happening to me right now. I could feel the blood leaking out. The man was going so hard and fast, I was sure he wasn't going to stop until he busted my ass open._

_Fortunately, the raping didn't last long. Unfortunately, they still weren't finished with torturing me. Because that dude decided to take a pocket knife and stab me in the stomach and make words. The words in question... were the worst worse they could use to describe me. I felt shattered hearing them... I actually started to believe it was true..._

_I started to really feel like a slut, whore, and all those other words. All I could do was cry in shame..._

_And that was when Donald pissed his pants. But yeah, those people are the worst. And that wouldn't be the last time they violated me. But this entry is getting too long. Anyways, I really felt like I was worthless that day. But according to my friends, I'm not... I still got stuff to look forward to in life... so I hope all of this misery can be over soon. So... bye, Rudy...'_

Albert finished that entry, hearing Rudy sniffling beside him. He immediately put a hand on his shoulder, and the boy leaned into him, sobbing softly, "It's gonna be okay, Rudy..." He soothed.

"I-I sure hope so..." Was the rich boys' response.

And so, the two friends just sat on the window sill, with Albert comforting Rudy until he fell asleep...

**Aw. Albert's just the sweetest, isn't he? But poor Rudy. He sure went through a lot, being violated like that. And it wasn't even the last time that happened. We won't see the other time, but it will be mentioned. I gotta admit, I'm not used to writing this type of stuff regularly, so it's not too graphic. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter... well, enjoyed what was meant to be enjoyed. Next chapter will be another causal one, but this time, we'll see the cops investigating. I'll see you guys later, and don't forget to review, please. Thank you!**


	12. Chapter 11: Where to Start

**Hi, friends. It's been a while, but I'm back with another chapter of JOTN. This is where we're gonna focus on the police investigating the kidnapping, bringing in a new detective for her first case. Plus, we'll learn a bit more about the crazy couple as well. Let's read about the history of these villains. Oh, and get the boys files as well. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OC's. Thank you!**

Chapter 11: Where to Start

Officer Jackson walked into the station that morning, a cup of coffee in hand. He had been working like a dog for the past few days, especially when it came to the most recent investigation.

Seven boys, whom he came across a few times before, went missing for ten days until they were found in a cabin by the lake on the outskirts of Pennsylvania. It was discovered they were abducted by these two people, whom Jackson would learn about today. He was glad the boys were safe but worried for their physical and mental states from what he heard.

He learned that one of the boys had a shattered leg, one was in a coma (but woke up, fortunately), one was cut up from head to toe, and one was raped. He shuddered when he received that information just yesterday. If it were up to him, the people who took them would receive the death penalty.

Jackson entered the investigation room, where he was greeted by his fellow comrades, Officers Monroe and Hernandez. With them was another young woman he didn't know.

"Good to see you, Officer..." She greeted, "I'm Desiree'. I'm a detective investigating this mystery. This is actually my first one, so I'm looking forward to knowing what the scoop is."

Jackson shook her hand, "Nice to meet you, Desiree'. This is going to be a serious case. You won't like what we have here."

"Don't worry. I've study this kind of stuff. I can handle the deepness. Bring it on."

Hernandez then came over with seven files, putting them on the table, "What we've got here is a kidnapping case. Seven boys from here in Philly were taken on June 7th. They were found on June 17th. The kidnappers are still at large. And while all boys are alive, all of them have suffered in more ways than one."

Desiree' looked at the files, and recognized the names, "I know these boys. I think my little sister goes to school with them. Yeah... I know them. I heard of the kidnapping, but I wasn't sure if they were okay. Thank goodness they are."

Monroe nodded, "Yes, it's a blessing. But as Hernandez said, they suffered pretty badly... let me give you the rundown..." She opened one of the folders to show Desiree' the details. It was Bill's file, with his picture and information, "William Cosby, known as Bill by his friends, was struck badly on the head with a sledgehammer one of the boys said, and has been in a coma for about four or five days. He woke up eventually."

"Wow..."

After Bill, she opened Russell's file, "William's brother, Russell, suffered strikes to his bottom and a twisted wrist. He didn't suffer too much, but was traumatized by what happened to his brother..."

She then opened another file, that being Donald's, "Donald Parker was slashed from head to toe with a knife. He's very lucky he didn't die from blood loss..."

Next was Harold, "Harold Simmons suffered a large cut and bash on his leg from the same weapon used to bash William's head."

After him was Mush, "James Mush fell and bumped his neck, miraculously not snapping it."

She opened Bucky's, "Bucky Miller also didn't suffer too much, only some cuts and bruising."

Finally, she winced when she opened Rudy's folder, "Rudolph Davis... unfortunately suffered plenty. He was subjected to sexual assault more than once, and from the rape kit, had some internal damage, but nothing personal. Other injuries included a broken nose, and several cuts and bruises."

Desiree' heard Officer Jackson mutter, 'Jesus Christ', under his breath, but she allowed Officer Monroe to continue, "All of the boys have bruised and wounded backs, which we are led to believe came from a whipping of some sorts."

"Dang. Those poor boys." The young detective shook her head, "I usually try to see the good in people, but is there really any good in someone who beats and rapes kids."

"Unfortunately no..." Officer Hernandez frowned, "We believe these people had malicious intent."

"Who are they, anyway? That's what I wanna know..."

Hernandez walked over to a file cabinet, before pulling out two more files and bringing them to the table, "We've discovered that the kidnappers are runaway criminals."

He opened both files and Desiree looked them over.

"Gabriel and Belladonna Young are a criminal couple wanted for many crimes. They are known for kidnapping young children to keep them prisoner in their home. When the child is found, they flee to find the next child they can abduct."

"Yikes..."

"Gabriel has been arrested for armed robbery, breaking and entering rape, and drunk driving. Belladonna has been charged with battery and used to be a prostitute. I have a feeling Gabriel has influenced her to be worst."

"And you guys couldn't catch them...?" Desiree' asked.

Monroe shook her head, "They fled as soon as we pulled up to the cabin. We're not so sure where they escaped to, but we have a feeling they still may be in Pennsylvania or at least close."

"I see. Well, I'm hoping to help find those people, and maybe help those boys out too. I know they're still hurting. I think once we find the kidnappers, they can finally find peace."

Jackson nodded, "Let's hope so. We'll let you look over the files, and we'll come back with more updates. Those kidnappers are gonna get what's coming to them. I've known those boys for a good while, and they deserve justice."

With that, the three officers left. Desiree' remained in the room, as she looked at the information she was given. She began to study the boy's files, as she now knew what she was dealing with. This as going to be tougher than she thought it would be, at least for her first case.

"Let's see... Bill and Russell Cosby..." She murmured to herself, looking at the brother's files, "Bill, age fifteen. Russell, age nine... wow, Bill was lucky. Getting hit in the head hard isn't easy to survive. Poor Russell must have been scared to death..."

After looking at their information, she set the files down and picked up the next files, "Donald Parker, age fifteen. Several cuts. That had to hurt... Harold Simmons, age sixteen, that poor boy's leg. He looks like he can play basketball. Let's hope he still can. James Mush, age fifteen. A neck injury, wow... Bucky Miller, age twelve. Cuts and bruises. Not too bad. Third-degree burns? Yikes"

But by the time she got to Rudy's file, Desiree' frowned, recalling what she was told, "Rudolph Davis... age fifteen. Raped. Poor guy... I know he had it the worst... nobody should get that type of torture. He must be scarred for life."

The more the young detective thought about this, the more she realized that she needed more information. She needed the whole story, the whole scoop. And right now, the only ones who knew... were the victims.

Desiree' smiled. It was time for some interrogation.

Grabbing each file (including the ones for the kidnappers), she walked out of the room, meeting with the officers, "Hey, I would like to talk to the victims. I feel like we can get more information from them." She suggested, "Do you know where they live?"

"From what I know, they've been spending time together in the children's section of the hospital." Officer Jackson answered, "They all might be there. We've been planning to talk to them anyways."

"Good. I'll go there for a little interview session..."

Soon, Desiree' was in her car heading for the hospital. She looked down at the files in the passengers' seat and thought about what she was about to do. She knew the boys probably wouldn't be so willing to talk, but she had to get the information the police needed to help find the kidnappers. And the boys were the key to that mystery.

It didn't take her long to get to the hospital, and when she presented herself as a detective, she was led to whom she would be interviewing. Barbara was the one who led her, "The boys may not be ready to talk, so I suggest you approach them with caution..."

"I got this..." Desiree' replied.

A few seconds later, they stood outside the door. Barbara knocked on it, and a faint 'Come in' could be heard. She opened the door and allowed Desiree' to walk in. There she saw the boys sitting at the table having a snack. She smiled and waved, "Hi... I'm Desiree'. I'm a new detective, and I'm gonna be reviewing your case. You might know me, but my sister goes to school with you. Kelly?"

The gang looked at one another, before nodding. The young detective nodded, "Yeah. So, I was hoping to talk to you guys. The police need help to find the man and woman who took you. And I have a feeling you guys have information that can help us. Is that okay...?"

No response.

Silence was met with that question, before Albert spoke up, "If the guys are ready to talk, they will. But for now, we have this, Desiree'." He held up the journal, "My friends have been writing in this journal to help express their feelings."

Desiree took the journal and looked at it, "I see. Well, I'll definitely take a look at it, but I would still like to interview you guys. If you want to..."

The response she got this time were murmurs of uncertainty. This _was _going to be tougher than she thought. She knew the boys weren't going to feel like or be ready to talk about their experience. But she needed that information.

_Oh well... _She thought, _better give them time... they'll talk sooner or later. Can't keep it to themselves forever..._

"Would you like to join us? We're eating fruit." Albert asked.

"Of course... I'd love to..."

With that, she sat down at the table and joined the boys in their little snack. Perhaps she needed to get better acquainted with them. Get to know them better, and then the interrogating would start.

It was that simple... right?

**So, not a whole lot is known about Gabe and Bella, except that they're known criminals. This was a short one, as I know not much about how police investigate these sort of cases. But we have Detective Desiree looking to squeeze some new information out of the boys, in hopes of finding the kidnappers before they strike again. Next chapter, we'll continue with her, as she decides to have a one on one with each of the boys. Until then, I'll see you guys later. And as always, don't forget to review, please. Thank you!**


	13. Chapter 12: One on One

**I'm back! With another chapter of JOTN. Sorry, it took so long. I needed to relax after midterms. So, this is where Desiree' decides to talk to the boys about their experiences with being kidnapped. She does a one on one with each of them, so we'll be getting a bit of a recap of some of the flashbacks and entries, which Desiree will take a look at. Speaking of, there will be more entries from a few of the boys you haven't seen before. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OC's. Moving on.**

Chapter 12: One on One

As she ate snacks with them, Desiree' took a chance to observe them. She knew Albert was the one who wasn't taken, judging by his optimistic personality. As for the others, however, she could tell how they were feeling...

First, she looked at Harold and figured that he was the one whose leg was damaged since well, he was in a wheelchair. Next to him was Mush, who no longer had the brace, but Desiree' could still notice a bandage.

She then observed Donald next and could see visible bandages on his arms. _He must be the one with the stitches... _She thought.

Bucky was next to him, and the young detective saw bandages on him too, but not too many. _One of the lucky ones... with the burns, however..._

Bill and Russell were sitting together._ The brothers. One with a bandage on his head, he must be the one who was knocked out for days. I hope his little brother is doing okay._

As soon as Desiree' laid her eyes on Rudy, she instantly knew which one he was._ The rape victim... I feel so bad for him. He sure doesn't seem to have gotten over it... _

After this observation, she figured that now would be a good time as ever, "Hey... so, I was hoping to talk now... if you're ready..."

Yet again, she received a silent response, as she sighed. She knew she shouldn't force the boys. It wouldn't be right if they weren't ready. And she didn't blame them for this anyways. They still needed time.

So, she decided to take a look inside the journal for the time being. She carefully read through each entry and winced whenever she read the really bad parts, especially when she got to Rudy's entry. She turned the page to see two more entries after Rudy's, one being Harold's.

_Dear Journal_

_I'm back with more to say. The other guys said some things, but I have to mention some other things that happened while we were held captive. For one night. I think it was the eight night, that man and woman were incredibly drunk. __They came in slurring and stumbling all over the place. To be honest, it was kinda funny to see them like that. I know being drunk isn't a joke, but you have to see it to fully understand._

_We tried hard to keep out laughter in, but Rudy was the first to crack. He laughed so hard and loud, that alone almost made the rest of us laugh._

_But the couple sure wasn't laughing. They got mad, and the woman slapped Rudy so hard, blood came out of his nose. He was left in tears, and the man punched him in the nose too. Blood was all over his sweater and vest. I know he felt embarrassed. He probably wished he didn't laugh at all. But I know he couldn't help it. I'm sure any of us couldn't have helped it._

_So the couple warned us not to laugh at them again, or else it would result in punishment. After everything we've been through so far, we knew what type of punishments we could be in for. That's all I have to say for now. If I have anything else to say, I'll be back._

_Later, Harold._

Desiree' winced again, feeling even more bad for Rudy. The next entry under Harold's was Russell's.

_Dear Journal_

_Here I am again with another entry. I'm writing about what happened AFTER we got rescued. My brother was bashed in the head by those people, and they got away. I remember riding in the ambulance with Bill, watching the paramedics work on him. __I kept praying, hoping that he was going to make it. And he did._

_We got to the hospital and treated my wrist, back, and other injuries. My Mom and Dad came, and Momma was hugging me and crying and everything. The doctor then gave us the dreaded news... Bill was in a coma and could be that way for days. And I heard that well..._

_I was sad, upset... and angry. Angry at those people. I felt something I thought I only felt with Rudy... hatred. Only, instead of annoyed hate (And this is not really meant to be something directed towards Rudy, he just annoys me sometimes), it's furious hate. Those... those monsters hurt my brother, and he had to rely on a MACHINE to survive. I'm happy he's awake now... but that doesn't soften my anger any less. I hope that man and woman are caught. And when they are, I hope they get the worst and most PAINFUL punishments the judge has to offer!_

_Only then will they know how we FELT..._

_And, that's all... Russell_

Desiree' was amazed at how much anger and hate one tiny little boy could express. She couldn't blame him though. Those people, whoever they were, almost killed his brother. To be honest, she might have felt the same way if it happened to her sister.

After looking up, she noticed the boys looking at her with curiosity. She smiled at them and put the journal on the table, "You feeling okay...?" She asked.

Another silent response, but there were nods of approval. After a few more moments of just staring, Harold spoke up, "Um... I'd like to talk to you..." He said.

"Really? You ready?" Desiree' asked.

"Yeah. I mean, if you're gonna help investigate... you're gonna need some help."

"Cool! Let's go outside where we can get some privacy."

With that, she wheeled the tall boy out of the room, and into another empty room. They sat at a table, and had the journal, Harold's file, a notepad, and a tape recorder, "So... you seem like one of the braver ones." She said.

Harold nodded, "Uh, yeah. I'm the oldest behind Fat Albert, and being the oldest of us that were taken, I thought I had to be the responsible one to keep everyone in check. You know, make sure they didn't lose their minds."

"That's good. So... start from the beginning. Tell me everything you know." Desiree turned her tape recorder on, and Harold began talking.

"Well... it started almost two weeks ago. We were all hanging out in the junkyard 'til it was time to go home. We bid each other farewell and went our separate ways. On the way to my house... I never mentioned this before, but I was starting to feel odd. As if someone was following me. I kept looking around but didn't see anybody... I soon saw my house in full view, but then I stopped to tie my shoes back up..."

Harold stopped for a moment to think before continuing, "And... now I remember. The second I bent down, I felt someone grab me and put this clothed over my nose... and I passed out. When I woke up, I found myself, and the rest of my friends in that basement. The man and woman came down and introduced themselves to us. They told us that they were gonna keep us like their sons... and that was when they beat the skin off our backs... and it's _still _sore."

Desiree nodded as she wrote down on her pad, "Uh huh... according to your records, and this journal, you got hurt pretty badly in the leg, no?"

The boy looked at his left leg, still protected by a cast, "Yeah... it got hurt twice. The first time, my friend Mushmouth was trying to get to this thermostat, and he fell and hurt his neck. The man and woman heard and came running. I took the fall and said I was making the noise, so they threw me and I landed on my knee pretty hard. After that, the woman gave me a real big cut and hurt so much. It was slightly worth it, since I was protecting my friend."

"And the second time...?" The young detective asked.

"That was the last day of our captivity. Russell was standing up for Rudy, and the man had this sledgehammer ready to strike. He used it on my leg, making things much worse. Then he tried to hit Russell, but that's when Bill got in the way and got hit instead. He was brave to do that, to save his brother."

Desiree wrote down more things, "I see... so tell me. How have things been since? I know you guys are still recovering."

"Yeah. It's been pretty hard. I've been handling it better than the others, honestly. But seeing my friends still miserable and such, it sucks. I try to remain optimistic as I can, but it's been difficult. And I hope those people are found soon. I'd hate for this to happen again."

"I know..."

"And well... that's all I have to say. The others can explain the other stuff much better than I could."

"Oh, okay. Thanks for your time, Harold."

"No problem..."

She then turned off the recorder, and returned Harold to the others, "Okay, who's next?" She asked.

The boys looked at one another, before Donald slowly raised his hand, "I-I-I'll go..." He said quietly, standing up to join Desiree' in the other room. He sat down with her, as she put another tape in the recorder, "Okay... Donald, right? I just want you to talk about what happened. You don't have to tell me everything, but anything to help find the people who took you. Let's start with the beginning. The day you got taken..."

Donald remained silent to think for a moment, before he spoke, "I-I remember... I was walking home... but before I made it there, I felt this cloth on my nose, and I passed out. The next thing I know, I'm in this scary basement with my friends. This man and woman took us, and they spent the next ten days beating us day in and day out... they hurt us real bad..."

Much like with Harold, Desiree' began recording and writing on her notepad. She listened carefully as Donald continued, "T-T-They especially hurt Rudy real bad. So bad, that I got scared, and peed in my pants. T-They weren't happy about that. So the man cut me... cut me badly! And now I got all these stitches and stuff..."

He rolled up the sleeves of his sweater to show Desiree' the stitches before he continued to talk, "And can you blame me for being scared? They hurt my best friend... I've known Rudy for a long long time. We've always had each other's back, you know... and now he may never be the same. All cause of those people. I... I really care about him..."

"I see you do..." The woman nodded.

"And... if he died... I... I don't know what I'd do... probably cry... but yeah. I wouldn't know what to do..."

Just the mere thought of losing his best friend brought Donald to tears, as Desiree' handed him a soft cloth, "I know... I understand how you feel... but he's okay. And you guys still have each other. Hold on to that friendship..."

"I-I-I will..." He sniffed.

"You wanna stop here... or do you have more to say?"

"N-No... I'm good..."

Donald got up and walked back to the other room, with some new thoughts and feelings in mind. After a few seconds, Bucky came into the room, "Hi..." He greeted.

Desiree' smiled, "You must be Bucky. Ready to talk with me."

"Sure..."

With that, he sat down, as Desiree replaced the tape with another, "Okay, much with the other two, I want you to start from the beginning, from the moment you got taken..."

"Okay. Well, uh, I remember walking home. Harold, Mushmouth, and I were walking together before we split off. I remember reaching the front step of my house before I got dragged down and in a bush... I was knocked by some cloth. When I woke up, I saw my friends, and we were in this basement with that couple. They beat us, and later gave us some weird food... we weren't sure about eating it, but I tried it first, and it wasn't that bad. Just salty."

The preteen watched as the detective wrote on her notepad, "So, according to these journal entries, some of you weren't so keen on eating this salty stuff, right?" She asked.

Bucky nodded, "Yeah... it was Russell. He thought the mean couple was trying to win us over, and he wasn't falling for it. But when they found out he didn't eat, he got whooped for it. And I mean _whooped_. The lady hit his butt so hard, he started bleeding..."

"My god..."

"Yeah... after that, the next few days weren't any better. They continued to torture us, broke Harold's leg, cut Donald, violated Rudy, and even burned my legs... which I still have to write about... that's a journal entry for later. And then they knocked Bill out... and that happened at the end. That's all I can really remember..."

Desiree' nodded, "I understand, Bucky. I think I have enough from you, thanks."

"You're welcome..."

After Bucky left the room, it was Mush's turn, "Are you James?" Desiree' asked.

"Yeahb. Butb myb friendsb callb meb Mushbmouthb." He replied.

"Okay, Mushmouth. I wanna talk to you, and you tell me about your kidnapping. Not every detail, but everything you can remember." She explained.

Mush nodded, and began to talk, "Wellb. I wasb goingb homeb thatb dayb... whenb Ib feltb ab clothb, andb fellb absleepb. Thenb, web wereb allb inb ab basebmentb. The manb and womanb wereb meanb. Theyb hit us, kickb usb, and Ib triedb toob turnb downb theb heatb, butb Ib fellb and hurtb myb neckb. The peopleb heardb theb noiseb, and askedb whob did itb. Then Weirdb Haroldb said itb wasb him, sob theyb hurtb him. Heb wasb sob braveb tob dob thatb for meb..."

Desiree' jotted this down, "I noticed. Harold is brave. All of you boys are..."

"Yeahb. Ib guessb web areb... that'sb allb Ib haveb tob sayb..."

"That's fine. Thanks."

After Mush, Bill and Russell came in together, "Ah, the devoted brothers. I heard you were inseparable..." Desiree' chuckled.

Bill smiled, "Yeah. And after all we've been through, we're even more inseparable..."

The brothers sat together, already aware of what they were about to do, "So tell me, what happened when you were kidnapped?" Desiree' asked.

"We were walking home... and not even a block from where we live, I saw this person grab Rus..." Bill explained, holding his brother's hand for comfort, "I tried to fight them off, but they were too strong. Then I got hit in the head, and the last thing I remember seeing was this woman putting a cloth over Russell's nose... and that's when the terror started..."

"And we didn't like it..." Russell added.

"Those people seemed to intend to keep us forever, and the days to follow were, excuse my language, complete and utter Hell. They beat us, made us eat weird food. And they beat Russell's backside so badly, he bled. Do you know how it feels to see your sibling get hurt, and you can't do a damn thing about it? It fucking sucks!"

Bill had covered his brother's ears so he wouldn't hear him curse. Desiree' nodded and jotted down on her notepad as the older brother continued, "Seeing Russell in pain pissed me off, and I vowed to keep him safe from those bastards. And you probably know this, but on the last day, the man was about to hit Russell with a sledgehammer, so I pushed him out of the way and took the hit. It hurt like nothing I've experienced, but I found comfort in the fact that I saved my brother from potential death..."

Desiree' smiled, "That's real sweet. Being there for your brother..."

Bill nodded, "Yeah..."

That's when Russell had to say, "Not to mention, I tried to help Rudy. You see, this happened after those people... hurt him, and the lady was trying to get him to eat, but he didn't want to. She then threatened him, and I thought enough was enough. As annoying as Rudy could be, I hated seeing him so weak and defenseless, I had to do something... and look what happened... I thought I would lose Bill... he may be a mean brother sometimes, but I love him too much for him to die..."

"I love you too, Rus..."

The brothers then shared a hug, as the detective gushed at the tender moment, "Cute... anything else...?"

"I think we both said what we needed to say... for now..." Bill shook his head.

"Okay. Thanks, you two. Keep loving each other..."

"We will..." Russell gave her a thumbs up.

Now all who's left is... Rudy.

Speaking of whom, he walked in after the brothers left. He seemed to be more hesitant as he sat down slowly. Desiree' smiled, "Hi... Rudy, right?" She continued when he nodded, "So... I just want you to tell me about your experience... from the beginning to the end. You don't have to explain every single detail, but just what you can remember."

The rich boy nodded as he took a deep breath, and spoke, "I remember that day... I had gotten new headphones and was showing the dudes. After that, we went home. I was listening to my music, unaware that someone was probably following me. I felt someone grab me, and I tried to get away until I felt someone hit my head. I saw blood and passed out... then next thing I know... I'm trapped in a basement..."

Rudy took another deep breath, "And I won't sugarcoat anything... our experience was crap. I'm sure you heard it from the others, but here's what I have to say! They beat the shit outta us, had us eating this weird crap which didn't taste bad, but still. Russell got his ass beat for not eating, Harold got his leg fucked up, Mush hurt his neck, Bucky got burned, and Donald... got cut up 'cause of me..."

That made Desiree' raise an eyebrow, "What do you mean...?"

Rudy looked at her with a tear stained face, "I... I'm gonna just put it this way. They raped me. They FUCKING RAPED ME! That couple decided they wanted to take away my virginity! First, the man shoved his dick down my throat and made me suck it, while his mistress forced a dildo up my ass. It hurt like a BITCH! And the taste of dick was disgusting! And then... they decided to... switch sides... and then I had a dildo in my mouth, and a cock in my ass! I... felt... broken... and..."

Just remembering the moment caused Rudy to start gagging, which Desiree' noticed quickly. Looking around, she spotted a small trash can, and dashed for it, before rushing back to the boy, giving it to him as he emptied his stomach, gagging violently, vomiting, and sobbing all at once. The woman rubbed his back for comfort. After a few moments, Rudy started to feel better as he coughed, "Thanks..." he said weakly.

"No problem... wanna stop here?" She asked.

Surprisingly, he shook his head, "N-No... I-I need to g-get this out. After they... violated me... Donald pissed his pants. He was scared, and they punished him for it... they cut him up... and I realize it wouldn't have happened... if it weren't for me... Donald wouldn't have been scared if I never got raped... it's all my fault..."

"No... no, it isn't..." Desiree' assured him as he started to sob again, "You are not to blame for this, Rudy. Those people chose to hurt you, and you had nothing to do with it... anyone would've been scared at seeing that... you were hurt, and he was concerned..."

Rudy looked at her, "He's my best friend... he could've died from blood loss..."

"I understand. And I know you're best friends... he told me. You two seem really close..."

"We are... we've been tight since age six or seven... he'd helped me and I've helped him. If anything happened to him back then... I would never forgive myself... especially if I couldn't protect him..."

"I know... well, I think I got what I needed. Thanks for your time, Rudy..."

"Um... you're welcome..."

With that, Rudy returned to the room, followed by Desiree'. In her mind, what the boys told her wasn't much. It was basically information she already knew based on the journal and files. However, she remembered one thing. Most of the boys were knocked unconscious by the use of cloths...

And it didn't just take a genius to know that they were chloroformed. That might have some leads. But for now, she just smiled, "Thanks, you guys. I think we got what we need for this investigation. If we need anything else, I'll be back, 'kay?"

The boys nodded, to which she nodded back, "Cool. I'll see you around."

"Thanks for visiting, Desiree'," Albert said.

With that, she waved and left. As for the boys, they continued to converse with each other. Rudy had sat down next to Donald and instantly felt a hand touch his. He looked up to see Donald smiling at him, "You good...?" He asked.

Rudy wasn't sure how to respond, but he simply nodded, "Yeah... I'm good..."

The two best friends looked at one another before Rudy ended up taking Donald's hand and squeezing it softly, "What would I do without you...?" He asked with a smile.

"U-Uh, I dunno. What?"

Albert smiled at the friends, before seeing Russell snuggling up to his brother, Harold talking with Mush, and Bucky smiling at pretty much everything. It seemed that, for the first time since the kidnapping, the boys were all truly happy for once. Maybe writing in the journal, and talking to a detective really helped them.

Things seemed to be working out perfectly... what a blessing that would be.

**Awww. Cute moments between everybody. And talking about things with Desiree' seemed to help the boys. Plus, we learn that Bucky got burned on the legs pretty badly, which will come up in a journal entry next chapter. Until then, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'll see you guys later. And as always, don't forget to review, please. Thank you. :)**


	14. Chapter 13: Things STARTED to Get Better

**Hey, hey, hey! It's time for another chapter of JOTN. This will be another casual chapter for the boys, with the exception of a new journal entry from Bucky. Plus, the cops may have a lead as to where the kidnappers may be hiding. I hope you enjoy!**

**Warning: Contains flashback of, you guessed it, more child abuse.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OC's.**

Chapter 13: Things STARTED to Get Better

After the interviews with Desiree', the boys continued with their routine. Soon, it wouldn't be long before they didn't have to be in the children room anymore. Harold had a few more days of physical therapy before he could eventually get out of the wheelchair (though he would still need it to an extent, and later use crutches).

Rudy was doing much better mental wise, so he didn't need much monitoring. He was set to be discharged from the hospital today.

Bill was hopefully set to be discharged from the hospital by the next day, as his head was doing better. Russell was happy, for his brother would finally be coming home soon.

The whole gang would eventually go back to playing in the Junkyard again. Things would finally go back to normal soon.

As the boys talked with one another, Bucky was looking at the journal, looking for the right words to put down. He was thinking of how the mean couple burned his legs one of the days. He was having a hard time, due to not remembering every single detail of that memory. Things were starting to become a blur to him.

"Dear Journal... um... this is gonna be a hard one. Because I can't remember much of it... it's been a while now, but I guess I can write what I do remember..."

_"Time to play another little game, boys..." Gabe smirked at the captives._

_The boys all cowered in the corner of the basement. At the mention of the word 'game', Rudy became a sobbing and blubbering mess, as it not only reminded him of what happened the last time they played a 'game' but because he was terrified that he would get picked for the game again._

_The man looked over the shaking kids before he reached over and grabbed Bucky, startling the preteen, "And you get to be the lucky one to play today, son!"_

_With that, he was thrown on the table, and strapped in. Bucky was already scared, and he didn't know what was about to happen to him. He tried to look over, and gasped when he saw Bella walk over with a lighter, "This game is to see how much fire you can take Bucky!" She said cheerfully._

_The boy whimpered. This was not going to be fun._

_And not long after, he started to feel hotness. He looked down to see his pants on fire. Immediately, he started to scream once the heat reached his legs, burning him. As he screamed, he could hear the mean couple laughing with amusement, and his friends making noises of horror and dismay. Bucky felt tears falling._

_Soon after, he passed out from the pain..._

_"Bucky... you okay..."_

_The preteen moaned and opened his eyes to see his friends staring at him with concern. He tried to sit up but winced when pain shot through his legs. He looked down and frowned. His green pants, from the ankles to the bottom of the thighs, were completely burned to black, with small holes in which he could see spots of blood._

_"It... it hurts..." He whimpered._

_"We know. We're gonna fix you up..." Bill assured him, "That man and woman just left. That'll give us time..."_

_"T-Thanks.."_

"And that's all I remember. I know I was, my legs were really starting to hurt after all of that. I'll never go near fire like that again, that's for sure. Until next time, Bucky..."

To be honest, he felt bad he didn't have a lot to say this time. But at least he got to write about that certain memory and not keep it to himself. Albert was right. Writing really did help out.

That's when there was a knock on the door, "Come in." Albert said.

The door opened, and Officer Jackson walked in, "How're you doing, boys?" He asked.

The boys were delighted to see a familiar face. They all nodded in approval as the officer smiled, "That's good. I'm glad you're all safe and sound. We're still looking for the kidnappers. We seem to have a lead so far."

"What lead?"

"You've met with Desiree, right? Well, from whatever you told her, she was able to decipher that you were all knocked out by some chloroform. We did some digging and saw that it was purchased at a store right here in North Philly. Also, someone saw a black van and caught the license plate on it. We believe the kidnappers are still in Pennsylvania, and we're on the lookout. Once they're caught, you boys will have nothing to worry about."

The kids smiled. Hopefully, things would start to become safe around here...

Later on, Albert was at home. He already had dinner, and was now in his room, reading over Bucky's entry from earlier.

'_Dear Journal... um... this is gonna be a hard one. Because I can't remember much of it... it's been a while now, but I guess I can write what I do remember... so this is gonna be a short entry._

_The man said that we were gonna play another game. Rudy became hysterical. After what happened to him before, I couldn't blame him for being scared. But soon, I became scared when the man picked up for the game. That's when the woman came with a lighter and set my pants on FIRE! And it hurt! It really did hurt! I was in so much pain, I passed out._

_When I woke up, the man and woman were gone, and my friends were gonna help clean me up. My pants were ruined, and my legs were completely burned. I thought I couldn't walk again, but I guess I thought wrong. And that's all I remember. I know I was, my legs were really starting to hurt after all of that. I'll never go near fire like that again, that's for sure. Until next time, Bucky...'_

Albert winced. So that explained the bandages on Bucky's legs a few days prior. This couple sure seemed ruthless and didn't seem to care how much they hurt his friends. If anything, they relished in it. The large boy could only help things would get better for his friends... and not worse...

A few days later, all of the boys found themselves in a familiar place. A place that they haven't seen in a long while. A place that... felt like a second home to them. Sure, it wasn't the cleanest place, but hey, it was the Junkyard...

The kids were just sitting in the clubhouse, wondering what to do. Harold still had a wheelchair, but he had gotten used to it. Bill was instructed to not move so fast as to not irritate his head, as it still had some trauma. Rudy was to be watched over at ALL times, no matter where he went or what he did. He was to be watched to keep his mental health in check.

Actually, all the kids were to be looked after. They always had to have someone with them when walking as instructed by the police. No one was to be alone. It was for their own safety...

"So... you dudes heard anything about the kidnappers...?" Harold asked after a few minutes of silence, "Did the police catch them yet?"

Albert shook his head, "Not that I know of... but there's still working on it..."

The mention of said kidnappers brought chills to the boys, but they decided not to show it, as to not sour up the mood, "I dunno what's taking them so long..." Russell groaned, "They keep saying they're still in Pennsylvania, but they haven't found them yet?"

"Pennsylvania's a pretty big place, Rus..." Bill told him, "It could take a while to find them, especially if they're hiding really good..."

"Well, the police better hurry up..."

The other guys couldn't blame Russell. They _all _wanted the criminals caught and charged for what they did to them. If only so no other kid would go through the same thing they did.

To change the subject, Albert spoke again, "Hey, hey, hey. How about we play? Perhaps some badminton outside."

The gang wasn't opposing to that. Something to take their minds off of their current worries. So with that, they started to set up, find the rackets, and... find the bird. Russell offered to look for it as he searched through the clubhouse... alone. Bill tried to keep a close eye on his brother, to make sure nothing happened as he helped the others set up the net.

No matter how hard he looked, the little boy couldn't find the bird anywhere. He walked back outside and was about to tell the gang he had no luck... but then he spotted something that looked familiar in a pile of junk...

Was that the bird...?

Curious, Russell walked over to the pile, which was a bit far and out of view of the other boys. But he made sure to grab it and hurry back. Once he reached the pile, he began to pick up the bird... until suddenly, he was pulled in.

Before the poor child could scream, a cloth was shoved in his mouth. He started to struggle until he looked up at who grabbed him and paled.

"Hello, Russell. Good to see you again..." Gabe greeted with an evil smirk, Bella beside him with a cheerful smile.

**Dun dun DUUUUUUUUUUNNNNNNNNNNNN!**

**The kidnappers are back, and they got a hold of Russell again. Things are gonna start happening again, and this time, Albert will be involved in a way. Next chapter will continue after this one, and we'll see what happens to poor Rus. Until then, I'll see you guys later. And as always, don't forget to review, please. Thank you.**


	15. Chapter 14: Not Again!

**Hello, everyone! I'm back with another chapter of JOTN! Where we last left off, all the boys are outta the hospital now and hanging out in the junkyard. But it looks like the kidnappers found them again. We'll see what happens with that today. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OC's.**

Chapter 14: Not Again!

"Hey, hey, hey! Put the bird in play!" Albert said when they finally had everything set up.

"Hold up, we gotta wait for Russell to come back with the bird..." Bill replied, looking around for his brother.

So they waited... and waited... and waited... until they noticed that the little boy was nowhere to be seen. Bill started to get increasingly worried, "Russell? Where are ya, Rus?"

That's when the boys heard an engine starting up, and looked towards the entrance of the junkyard. There they saw a van... a black van. Officer Jackson mentioned the kidnappers having...

The boys suddenly paled. Could it be?

Bill began to look more closely, and saw two people in the front, "No... Russell... they got Russell!" Before any of the others could reply, the teen dashed for the van as it started to drive away. The rest of the gang followed.

Unfortunately, no matter how fast he ran, Bill could not keep up with the van, as it soon drove out of view. The boy then crouched down panting and holding his pounding head. Albert was the first to catch up to him, "You gotta be careful. You remember what the doctor said about moving quickly..." He said.

"Russell... they got him..." Bill replied.

"Hold on. We don't know for sure if they got him. He might still be in the Junkyard. Let's go check."

With that, the boys went back to search for the youngest member of their group, praying and hoping that he was safe and sound. Immediately, they split up and looked throughout the entire junkyard, calling for Russell and everything. But no matter how hard they looked, the small child was nowhere to be seen...

After about ten minutes of searching, the boys pretty much had their fears confirmed...

"Any luck...?" Albert asked when they all grouped together.

The others shook their heads. Bill felt tears building up as he sat down, "I can't believe it... they got him... they got my little brother..." He moaned, burying his face in his hands.

Albert put a hand on his friend's shoulder, "Don't worry. We'll get him back. Let's go back to your place and tell your folks. Then we can report it to the police..."

However, the other boys were starting to feel scared again. The kidnappers were _still _on the loose, and now they had Russell again. Who knows how long it would be before the rest of them were captured again too?

"I'm scared..." Bucky whimpered.

"What if they get us all again?" Donald asked.

"I can't go back... I won't go back to that damn basement again! NOT AGAIN!" Rudy cried, holding his head and breathing heavily.

"I can't bear to even think of it..." Harold shook his head.

"Meb neitherb..." Mush added.

Again, Albert tried to calm everyone down, "It's gonna be okay, dudes. Those criminals are NOT gonna get you again. Not while I'm around. I failed to protect you guys the first time. But this time, I'll do better. Now let's go report this!"

The boys agreed, and soon, they found themselves at the Cosby residence, explaining the incident to Bill's parents. Of course, his mother was reduced to tears again, while his father took charge and called the police.

"We want you boys to stay here for your safety." He told them, "I'll call your parents and let them know your here..."

That was fine by the gang, as they all sat in the room Bill shared with Russell, waiting for some news on the younger Cosby brother. It had been at least two hours at this point. All they knew was that the police were all on the lookout, searching throughout all of Philadelphia for the kidnappers and Russell.

"This is all my fault..." Bill sighed as he looked out the window, "I should've gone with him to search for the bird. If he wasn't alone... none of this would've happened... I'm a terrible older brother..."

The teen sniffed as he wiped away falling tears.

Albert frowned, "It's not your fault, Bill. None of us predicted this. We didn't think they would find us at the junkyard. But I'm sure the police will find Russell and bring him back home..."

"I sure hope so... I'd never forgive myself if anything happened to him..."

"You know... I feel like just sitting here isn't going to help..." Bucky spoke up, "Maybe we should help..."

"Yeah..." Harold agreed, "We saw where the van went... just barely. We might have better luck at finding it."

Albert looked conflicted, "I'd love to help too, but we don't know all the details. Besides, Bill's parents said to stay put for our safety. The last thing we need if any of us getting kidnapped too."

"For once, I agree with Fat Albert..." Rudy spoke, "I'd rather sit here and be bored than go out and risk getting taken again..."

"The best we can do is wait on any news. If it doesn't look good, then maybe we can try and help..."

That seemed to be an okay proposal. So the boys continued to spend time in the room, playing board games to pass the time, with Mrs. Cosby coming in time to time checking on them and even bringing snacks at one point.

Another hour passed, and still no updates. The sun was starting to set at this point. A few of the boys wanted to go home by now... until they heard a phone ring. They listened carefully as Mr. Cosby picked it up.

"Hello... yes... yes... oh... I see... well... I trust you'll keep the search going... okay... thank you... goodbye..."

"Dad? Is everything okay? Did they find Russell?" Bill asked as he walked out of the room.

His father turned to him and shook his head, "Not yet, son. But they appeared to have found his scarf, all bloody and such near the waterfront. There's keeping an eye out and still looking."

"Oh... okay..."

He then turned back to his friends, "They found Russell's scarf... but no Russell..." He then glared, "That's it... I can't just sit here and wait for him to die! We have to go find him! Now!"

"But we don't even know where to look..." Donald pointed out.

"I don't care! Look, they found his scarf by the water. Maybe we can find some clues."

The others were still a bit unsure about this, but perhaps sitting and waiting wouldn't help. So, they all agreed, and ran out the door, much to the shock of Bill's parents. They had overheard the boys discussing wanting to help, but didn't want them to get hurt, especially since it was getting dark outside.

"Boys! Boys! Wait! It's not safe!" Mrs. Cosby called.

"We'll be back soon, Mom! With Russell!" Bill called back.

Mr. Cosby put a hand on his wife's shoulder, "Those are some determined kids. I trust they won't do anything stupid."

"But the kidnappers..."

"The police are still looking. Chances they'll catch them before they have a chance of catching the boys..."

Back with the boys, they ran as fast as they could to the waterfront, hoping that there would be something to help find and save little Russell. They had to hurry before it was too late. Once they reached the familiar location, they began to search for clues. This time, they stayed together, not wanting another one of them to go missing.

But much like back at the junkyard, they had little to no luck. No matter how hard they tried, no matter how many times they called for Russell... they couldn't find anything.

"It's been almost three hours at this point..." Rudy said, "They're probably out of the country by now with Russell..."

"We can't give up!" Bill said with a glare, "I made a promise to Russell to always be there for him. I can't fail him now!"

"You already failed when he was taken..."

Something about that sentence set Bill off, as he then approached Rudy and grabbed him by the collar, "You take that back!" He growled.

Rudy glared back, "You know it's true, Bill! If you couldn't protect him at the junkyard earlier, what makes you think you'll find him anywhere near here. It's been _three fucking hours,_ those people are probably long gone! We might as well go back while we can!"

"No! Hell no! I won't go back until we find my little brother! If he dies, I'll never forgive myself! I knew what I was doing when I shoved him out of the way that day! I was protecting him! I made that vow after the woman beat him! And especially after the crap, YOU put him through last summer!"

Rudy cringed when reminded of that, "Why did you have to bring that up? That was last year! And I've gotten better!"

"You think Russell's forgotten about it! Well, he hasn't! And neither have I for that matter! And now, he's in worse danger, and you'd rather be a coward and not help!"

"I'm telling you that we're fighting a losing battle! Russell isn't here! He's most likely DEAD! Or being RAPED!"

Before Albert could step in, Rudy was sent to the ground with a hard punch. Bill growled at him with his fist clench. The force of the punch was enough to bust his knuckles, but he didn't care. As far as he was concerned, Rudy crossed a line.

The rich boy looked up, sneering, "Dude, what the FUCK?!"

"You take that back, you son of the bitch!" Bill seethed, "How DARE you assume that?! Because it happened to you?!"

Rudy was about to reply back, but being reminded of... that brought tears to his eyes. But he quickly blinked them back as he got up and tackled Bill to the ground. Now Albert decided to step in to pull the fighting boys apart.

"Cool it!" He said, "Look, fighting isn't going to help us find Russell!"

"We're _not gonna _find him!" Rudy shot back.

"Yes, we will!" We will!" Bill cried, crouching down, burying his face in his hands as he sobbed loudly.

Seeing their usually laidback friend so... vulnerable was a surprising sight for the rest of the gang. All they could do was watch, before Albert stepped in to rub his shoulders, "It's gonna be okay, Bill..."

"I-I-I j-just w-want my little brother back, man..." Bill sobbed, "Is that so wrong...?"

"No... it isn't..."

Now feeling guilty, Rudy crouched down in front of his friend, "Hey... I'm sorry for what I said. I just think... we're hopeless at this point. We have no idea where the kidnappers took Russell. And... I don't want the rest of us to get taken again."

Bill looked up at him, "... I guess it's okay, Rudy... I'm sorry for lashing out at ya like that... I just don't wanna give up on my brother..."

"I know... and, we can keep looking if you want..."

"Actually, it's getting late. We better head back..." Albert pointed out, as the sky was beginning to get dark.

The other boys agreed, including Bill (though he was more reluctant). But as they started to walk back, they caught something by the entrance of the waterfront... the headlights of a black van.

Suddenly... the van began to move... and it started to come straight at the boys!

**Uh oh. So the boys try to find Russell, but can't... but it looks like the kidnappers may have found them first. Next chapter after this, will have a reference that if you watched the 1982 version of Annie, you'll get it. Until then, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'll see you guys later, and don't forget to review, please. Thank you!**


	16. Chapter 15: Up the Bridge

**Hello, friends! Time for another intense chapter of JOTN. We're getting to the nitty gritty end here. There will be about five or six chapters left, so a lot more to look forward to. But for today, the boys are confronted by their kidnappers yet again, and things happen. Let's see!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OC's.**

Chapter 15: Up the Bridge

The van started to vroom straight towards the boys, but they quickly moved out of the way in order to not get run over. The van continued on, but stopped for a moment. The door opened... and a man stepped out. The boys (except Albert) started shivering in fear.

"Hello, boys..." He greeted with a chuckle, "It's good to see you again. Didn't think we'd find you here. But now that you're here... we can all be together again..."

"Hey, hey, hey! No way!" Albert refused, "I won't let you take my friends again..."

Gabe smirked, "Sorry, fatty. But you don't get a say in this matter..."

"Where's my brother?!" Bill demanded, "Let him go!"

"Relax, son. He's just taking a nap in the van right now..."

However, as soon as the man said that, there was a banging sound from the back of said van, and muffled screaming that the boys knew was Russell trying to escape. But Gabe ignored it, "But don't worry, you'll get to see him shortly. Now, why don't you be good little boys and get in for me?"

But the gang didn't move a muscle... all of them too scared to do so. Ten seconds passed, and Gabe was getting irritated. He then reached into his pocket... and pulled out a large knife, "Let's try this again. Get your asses in the van, or you're gonna get cut!"

"NOOO!" Rudy cried, "I won't go! I ain't going! Not again! I won't go back to the basement again! I won't let you hurt me AGAIN!"

The man smirked as he moved closer to the boys, "Aw, what's wrong? Is the little slut too afraid to get fucked again? But I thought you enjoyed it the last four or five times we did it together..."

This was new information for Albert. Rudy was raped more than once. Well, he did remember Rudy mentioning it happened more than once, but he didn't think it happened up to _five times_. As for Rudy himself, he just burst into tears and looked away. Donald, in a moment of strong will, stepped in front of his best friend, "I-I-I won't l-let you hurt my friend again!" He said bravely, even though he was trembling.

Gabe laughed, "You seem to really to be close to that little whore, aren't you? So willing to protect him. So tell me, why didn't you try the first time? Why did you instead piss your pants?"

Donald frowned at the reminder of that, "I-I was scared back then. But I'm not scared now! And I want you to leave my best friend alone, you-you-you-you big bully! If you want him, y-you'll have to go through me!"

The wicked man shrugged, "Fine by me. If it'll get you to get the hell in the van."

That's when Albert stepped in front everyone, "If you want any of my friends, you'll have to go through me!" he glared.

"Again, I can take you, fatass!"

"Give. Me. Back. My. BROTHER!" Bill snarled, trying to tackle the man, but was held back by Bucky and Mush, "If you've done anything to him, I swear to God I will... I will..."

Gabe leaned in on the teenager, smirking, "You'll what, William...?"

Bill glared at him, "I'll... I'll do something. But whatever it is, you won't like it!"

"Oh, I'm so scared..."

With that, the monster raised his knife above the kids, "A few stabs, and that should get the message across to you brats!"

"Gabe! Stop it!"

Another voice was heard, and the boys saw Bella getting out of the van. She looked... pitiful. The man turned to his wife, "Bella, what are you doing...?" he asked.

"Honey... we should stop this..." She said softly, "We shouldn't be doing this. Kidnapping children... taking them away from their families, tormenting them until they die! We've become MONSTERS, Gabe! I can't do this! Not to these sweet boys..."

"But Bella... we're doing this... for you... so that you would have someone to love and care for..."

"I never wanted to do it THIS WAY! I much would've rather adopted! But no, I had to be an idiot and allow myself to be influenced by your evil ways! Well, no more! No more of that! We need to let these boys free, and turn ourselves in!"

Slowly, everything was starting to become clear to the boys. There was a reason this couple did what they did, as Albert started to speak, "So... Miss Bella... are you... in any way... infertile?"

The woman sighed in nodded, "I am... when Gabe and I met... I've always wanted children. But no matter how much we tried... we couldn't... and because of our troubled pasts... I guess this is what started all of these kidnappings of children. It's not an excuse for all the trouble we caused... but now I'm started to see how wrong we've been..."

She then turned to her husband, "Gabe... I want to have children to LOVE... not to abuse and torture... think of all the lives we ruined... all the children we took... and how traumatized these boys are. For God sakes, we took away the innocence of ONE of these boys." She gestured to a still tearful Rudy, "He'll never be the same again! He will have to live with this for the rest of his young life. All because of US! ALL of these boys will have to deal with lasting scars due to our sins!"

Bella then took his hand, "Please... for the sake of these boys... we have to give this up, turn ourselves in, and pay for our mistakes. If we don't... we'll eventually end up doing something we regret... even though I already regret all the suffering I caused to these boys..."

Speaking of said boys, they were looking back and forth between the man and woman. Wondering what Gabe was going to do now, and if Bella's words meant anything to him...

After a few moments of silence, Gabe started to growl.

"You stupid bitch! All of this, all of this giving you kids to care for, and you wanna back out NOW?!" He glared at his wife.

Bella glared right back, "I don't want to do this anymore! This has been getting out of hand. We need to stop!"

"I'm on a fucking roll, Belladonna, and I won't stop now! We're taking these boys and catching the next flight overseas! Whether you like it or not!"

But she wasn't about to back down that easily. Before Gabe could say another word, she grabbed him by the wrist, punched him in the face, kicked him where the sun doesn't shine, and while he was bent down, jabbed in the back to send him to the ground. After that, she rushed over to the back of the van and unlocked it.

The boys watched as she pulled out a bound and gagged Russell, before freeing him of his binds, "You're free little one..." She told him softly.

The small child looked up at her with confusion, but when he spotted his brother and friends, he started to ran towards them, before Gabe got up and pulled out a gun.

"That's it! I've had enough! All of you brats get in the van or else!" He roared.

When nobody moved...

"... Fine!"

**_BANG!_**

A shot was fired. No one could tell which direction, for it all happened so fast. Bill, Rudy, Donald, Harold, Bucky, and Mush felt like it was about to hit one of them, so they braced themselves.

But... one of them felt anything.

Instead, they heard a low groan.

Looking right in front of them, they were horrified. Albert was on the ground, lying on his back while clutching his stomach. Bill looked closer, and even though Albert wore a red sweater, he could see a much deeper shade of red seeping through said sweater.

Their friend... got shot...

"Oh god..." Was all Bill can say.

Gabe just smirked, "I had a feeling the fatass would try to protect his friends. But of course, a price was paid... and now, how about we- OWWWW! FUCK!"

The man cried out when he felt a pain in his hand. He looked down to see Russell biting him while reaching into his pocket. Before he could shake the kid off of him, Russell was running, with the plane tickets in hand, "You little shit! Come back here, damn it!" Gabe growled, before taking off after the boy.

"Oh my god... oh my god..." Bella couldn't believe it, "We have to stop him. He might actually kill Russell!"

At that realization, Bill spoke up, "Some of us should go after him! Miss Bella, you call the cops, the ambulance, someone! Our friend needs help!"

With that, half of the boys went running (Bill, Rudy, and Donald), while the other half (Harold, Mush, and Bucky) stayed behind to tend to Albert, "You're gonna be okay, Albert..." Harold tried to assure him.

"Please... don't leave us..." Bucky pleaded, on the verge of tears.

"Pleaseb..." Mush echoed.

Albert's response was coughing up blood and smiling slightly, "Hey.. hey... hey... I'm not going away... I'll... I'll be okay..."

But to the others, they just weren't sure...

Meanwhile, Russell had been running for a while, until he found himself on some train tracks. He stopped a bit to catch his breath, before looking back at the man who was chasing him. The child looked down at the tickets he swiped, and frowned, ripping them up, "This is for what you did to my brother and Fat Albert!" He shouted before running again.

By now, Gabe was absolutely livid, "You little bastard! I've had it with you! When I catch you, I'm going to rip you apart with my bare hands!"

At the same time, Bill, Rudy, and Donald had caught up, and just heard what the madman had said. Bill was horrified, "My god. Miss Bella was right. He really is gonna kill him! I can't let that happen! I just can't!"

With that, he took off after the man chasing down his brother. Speaking of whom, Russell had made it to the BO Bridge, which was actually lifted up as if a boat would be coming by. From the bottom, it would seem like a very tall ladder. Realizing he had no choice, and nowhere else to run, Russell began climbing.

Gabe once again caught up and started to climb after him, before he was grabbed from behind.

"NO! I won't let you kill my brother!" Bill growled as he tried to pull the man down from the tracks. With sudden force, he brought down Gabe, who glared at him, "Get off me, you piece of crap!"

"You hurt my brother, I will hurt you..." The teen said lowly, still fighting.

Rudy and Donald had caught up as well... only to see their friend struggling with the man... before said man eventually sent a punch towards Bill's head, knocking him unconscious.

"Bill!" Rudy exclaimed as the man resumed climbing the tracks to get to Russell.

The two rushed over to Bill, who was once again bleeding from the head, "W-W-What do w-we do...?" Donald stammered.

Rudy looked up towards the lifted bridge, seeing that Russell had made it up pretty far. Halfway, he had to guess. He then had an idea. It sounded pretty stupid, but at the moment, the rich boy felt like he owed something to Russell. He then told Donald, "Stay here with Bill. Help should be on the way."

"What are you gonna do...?" Donald asked as Rudy began climbing the tracks.

"I dunno... but I gotta help Russell. If I don't, that man is gonna kill him. Besides, I owe the little shrimp for some things..."

With that, Rudy continued to climb, hoping that this idea wouldn't get him killed...

**Oh lord. Stuff certainly happened here. The boys are confronted. Gabe is a madman, and Bella is starting to see the error of her ways and goes against her husband. Albert gets shot, and Russell gets chased up a lifted train bridge (that reference to 1982 Annie I mentioned earlier). Next chapter will also include more intense moments. And we'll see the fates of Albert, Russell, and Rudy. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'll see you guys later. And don't forget to review, please. Thank you!**


	17. Chapter 16: Down With Everything

**Hey guys! Time for another chapter of JOTN! It's time to see what happens for the boys. ****Albert's not doing so well, Russell's climbing to danger, with Gabe on his tail, and Rudy on _his. _This is pretty much the final battle between the boys and the bad guys. And what is Bella going to do? And why did she turn over a new leaf so soon? All will be revealed. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OC's.**

Chapter 16: Down with Everything

It hadn't been long since Bella had called the cops. As soon as she got confirmation that they were on their way with an ambulance, she tended to Albert's wound, wrapping his stomach with some scarves she had... much to the confusion of the other boys.

"I don't get it... why are you helping us?" Harold asked.

"Yeah... you were so mean to us... now you're being nice..." Bucky added, "What changed, Miss Bella?"

The woman sighed sadly, "I guess... I allowed myself to be influenced by Gabriel's demeanor. I was never this bad, honest I wasn't. True, I have had run in's with the police, had my share fair of legal trouble, but I've tried to change myself for the better... but I end up relapsing... then I met Gabe... and we tried to have children... but come found out I'm infertile..."

She then looked away to wipe away some tears, "And... I guess I was so devastated and destroyed, I'd do anything to have children of my own... and that's what started all of this. I didn't want to do it at first... but the more Gabe convinced me and the more we took children... it programmed in my mind that... what I was doing was for me... when really... all we did was hurt families for our own selfish reasons... I was forced into this... crime..."

"Couldn't you have left your husband?" Bucky asked, "It seems like he's the real bad guy, and he made you follow him..."

"I... couldn't... I feel like Gabe truly loves me, and wants to give me what I desire... but... he's going about it all the wrong ways... and I fear that if I left and opposed... he would do something truly awful..."

The boys weren't so sure how to feel about all of this. This woman, who kidnapped them, aided her husband in beating, torturing them, and even raping one of them... was feeling remorseful... and they didn't know if they should believe her...

"But after we took Russell... I started to think to myself... what gain would we be getting from abducting children..." Bella continued, "What would we be doing that would be good...? Nothing! Nothing we've been doing has been good! We tore children away from their real families, and pretty much traumatized them... we traumatized _you, _boys..."

More tears started to fall as she looked down, "I... I feel so ashamed. I allowed my desires and Gabe's domination control my actions... and as a result... your friend here..." She gestured to Albert, "Is seriously hurt... and Gabe is now trying to kill the little one... I feel so... awful... I... I want to say... I'm sorry... but I know it won't be enough... you boys will need time to recover... I know you will..."

Harold, Bucky, and Mush looked at one another, before looking back at Bella, as Harold spoke, "Well... you're right... it is gonna take us all a while to recover from this... Rudy especially... but... we're glad you're seeing the error of your ways..."

"We believe you..." Bucky added, "Forgive you? Not quite... but hey, that might come through..."

The woman wiped her tears with a small smile, "Um... thank you... for understanding... but don't think that this is all Gabe's fault. I share some of the blame too. I could have stopped, but I didn't..."

"We know..."

Albert, who had remained silent, coughed a bit and looked up at Bella, "Miss... you are really courageous..." He spoke softly.

"Courageous... how?" She asked in confusion.

"It takes a lot to admit to your crimes and take responsibility for them. Not a lot of criminals are willing to do that... you're rare..." The large boy explained, before coughing up more blood.

Bella shushed him, "D-Don't talk... just rest..."

Soon, they all started to hear sirens in the distance.

Bella sighed, "Well... it's time to face the music..."

Meanwhile back on the bridge...

Russell was climbing as fast as he could. He wasn't sure what to do once he got to the top. Where was he going to go from there? It's not like he could jump from one part of the bridge to the other. He'd fall to the water below, and it wouldn't be painless.

The child looked below to see the madman slightly catching up to him, making him climb a little faster. Behind Gabe was Rudy, although he was a little farther behind than he would have liked. But he had to save Russell. He still didn't know how, but he hoped that in the end, it would work.

As for Russell, he finally made it to the top, and once he looked over, his heart completely dropped. He had to be at least a fifty feet high... and he was afraid of heights. Looking back at Gabe, he quickly moved to the other side... which he quickly learned was a mistake, as he found himself dangling over the side of the bridge.

"No! Help! Help! Somebody help!" he called, holding on as tightly as he could. By then, Gabe reached the top and grabbed the boy by his arms. Either he was trying to pull him up, or drop him into the water below, Russell didn't know, but either way, he was terrified.

"Leave me alone!" He cried.

"Oh, I'll leave you alone, once you're dead!" The villain snapped.

Suddenly, Russell nearly felt himself slipping. He screamed as he dropped before holding onto the bridge again. He was somewhat out of Gabe's reach, but the man still tried to grab him.

Rudy, although he couldn't see, could tell what was going on, and it only made him hurry to the top faster. He could hear Russell's terrified screams and cries for help, "Don't worry, Russell! I'm coming to save you!" He called.

The rich boy made it and stopped behind Gabe, who was still trying to reach the smaller boy. He started to ponder how he was going to do this. One wrong move could get him killed.

As he tried to think... he started to hear sirens... and a helicopter. The cops might be here. And while they're here...

Without really thinking, Rudy somehow jumped on top of Gabe, distracting him a bit. He scrambled off of him, positioned on a beam of the bridge, before nearly falling. The man growled, "You little shit! You'll pay for that! I don't mind killing you both!"

Rudy, with a new sense of courage, glared at the man who raped him, "Oh yeah. Not until you pay for this!"

Suddenly, Gabe found a pink boot in his face. The force of the kick was enough to knock the man back, sending him all the way back to the bottom of the bridge. Rudy smirked, "Go fuck yourself, Gabe..."

He then turned to see Russell, "You okay...?"

The small child nodded, tears streaming down his cheeks, "Yes! Please, help me, Rudy!"

"D-Don't worry... I got ya..."

Rudy tried to reach for his friend, but it near difficult, "Take my hand!" He said.

"I'm scared... I might fall if I do!" Russell sobbed.

"I'll catch you... I'll pull you up... I promise..."

At this moment, and for the first time in a long time... Russell started to trust Rudy. So with a nod, Russell let part of the bridge go with one hand, and reached upward to grab Rudy's hand. With all his strength, the older boy pulled him up... and into a hug.

"I got you, Russell..." He whispered, attempted to sooth the frightened child... I got ya..."

"T-Thank you..." Russell replied, his face buried in Rudy's vest.

By that time, a helicopter flew by, with an officer on a ladder, "You boys need a lift...?" He asked with a smile.

Both boys nodded, and so, the officer grabbed Russell and held him in his arms, while Rudy grabbed onto the ladder below the officer. In a matter of seconds, they all made it to the ground, where more officers, witnesses, the other boys, and even their parents were waiting for them.

The officer set Russell down, as he ran into the loving arms of his mother. Rudy did the same. The rest of the gang cheered, as their friends were safe and sound. Gabe was restrained and handcuffed. As for Bella... she was speaking with another officer.

"Man, we're glad you guys are okay..." Harold sighed in relief.

"Y-Y-Yeah... w-we thought you w-were goners..." Donald added.

Russell, after spending a few minutes hugging his mother, walked over to the older boys, "Rudy saved me. He kicked the bad man down and helped me back up.

"I sure did..." Rudy added, "And... I had to do something... after all, I owe something to Russell, especially after the stuff I did last summer..."

Well, that was understandable. But now there was another question?

"So... what happened to Fat Albert?" Rudy asked, "Is he gonna be okay?"

Harold nodded, "They're taking him to the hospital, but the doctors say that they're gonna do everything they can to help him. But they say he should survive... Bill too..."

Russell frowned in confusion, before Rudy explained, "When you were climbing up the bridge, Bill tried to stop the madman, but got knocked out. He was bleeding... sorry, Russell..."

Immediately, the little boy began to cry. His brother was hurt AGAIN! He was knocked out AGAIN! He was potentially going to be in a coma AGAIN! The thought was not only devastating but infuriating. But before he could say anything, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"But I'm sure he's gonna be okay..." Rudy assured him, "And this time... we're gonna get justice..."

**Well, the day is saved. Bella explains everything to the boys. I know you may think her change in attitude might be quick but think of it as a slow realization she has. But anyways...**

**Rudy and Russell are safe on the ground, and the wicked couple has been caught. But both Albert and Bill (yet again) are in critical conditions. Will they pull through this time? I think it's likely. Next chapter will be a skip forward, as we get another aftermath and a bit of the trial and court day. We'll see what consequences the couple will endure for their crimes. And we'll see how the boys feel about it. Until then, I'll see you guys later, and don't forget to review, please. Thank you!**


	18. Chapter 17: Trial & Tribulation

**Hello, friends! It's been a bit of a while. But here's another chapter of JOTN! We're nearing the end. The kids are safe again, the villains are caught, and we're going to see the fates of everyone. Let's see what goes down! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OC's.**

Chapter 17: Trials and Tribulations

_"I... think you should go easy on Miss Bella... she may have hurt us all too. But she was being controlled by her husband. He's the real criminal"- Russell_

_"Miss Bella aided her husband in torturing us, but she's shown remorse... and I think she means it..." - Bill_

_"I don't think any of us are gonna forget this experience. True, there should be consequences, however, Miss Bella shouldn't be punished harshly. Gabe on the other hand, should."- Harold_

_"T-T-That man really hurt us bad. A-and the lady, even though she hurt us too, she tried to help us when Russell was in trouble S-S-So d-don't b-be too h-hard o-on her."- Donald_

_"I think some people deserve another chance. I think Miss Bella can change for the better..." -Bucky_

_"Missb Bellab wasb sob meanb tob usb beforeb. Butb sheb helpedb saveb Fatb Albertb. Sheb foughtb againstb evilb..." -Mush_

_"I... have a hard time with this... Miss Bella helped her husband in raping me. She was so malicious in it too. I mean, I guess it's good she has remorse now, but at what cost? What took her so long to realize that? After all of us were broken physically and mentally. So yeah, I need to see some proof that she's changed." - Rudy_

_"It takes a lot of courage and strength to admit to your mistakes. Not a lot of people are so willing. They're just being cruel for the heck of it. Miss Bella, had a reason for doing what she did, and while it doesn't excuse her actions, all she wanted was someone to love and care for. She's had a rough past, was manipulated by her husband into doing this. I believe after some time, she deserves a chance to redeem herself."- Albert_

These were the answers from an interview all the boys did the day after the BO Bridge incident. These answers would be repeated at the trial that occurred weeks later.

Both Albert and Bill made a miraculous recovery from being shot and knocked unconscious respectively. Albert was in the hospital for a while but was discharged in time for the trial. Bill, thankfully, didn't fall into another coma, though he was unconscious for quite some hours, only awakening by dawn.

The trial itself was long and torturous for the boys. They just wanted the criminals to be sentenced so they could go home have this day be over with. One by one, each boy spoke about their experience, trying the best they could for Bella to receive a lighter penalty than Gabe. They all believe (well Rudy to a lesser extent), that she could change her ways.

Soon, the judge made the call. Both Gabe and Bella were found guilty on all charges. Gabe was sentenced to twenty-five years to life in a maximum security prison. Bella would have received the same amount of time if it weren't for the boys vouching for her. She instead received ten years, with hopes of parole, and sessions with a therapist.

The Junkyard Gang couldn't have been more satisfied with these results as they walked out of the courtroom later that evening.

"I'm sure glad that's over..." Harold sighed, "I swear we were in there all day..."

"I'm glad that things might finally be getting back to normal..." Bucky added, "Here's hoping we never see Gabe again. Not even after twenty-five years."

"Yeah... though I'm sure we won't forget him either..." Bill also added.

Russell looked up at his brother, "Do you think Miss Bella will be okay. Ten years is a long time too, you know."

"Yeah. But unlike her husband, she has a chance of parole. Meaning early release for good behavior. Besides, we did all we could to help her out, and in the end, I think it paid off..."

Albert smiled, "Hey, hey, hey. That's the way. Some people are willing to change. Some aren't, and we just have to accept that... I'm happy we got the hard part out of the way. Now, all we have to focus on is the therapy sessions."

As he finished speaking, he noticed that Rudy wasn't paying too much attention to their conversation... or was he? "Rudy, what do you have to say about all of this? You happy with the results?" Albert asked.

The dapper boy turned towards the rest of his face with a glare. It was an expression they had never seen on him, was it anger... or... disappointment.

"Do you guys realize what suck-ups you are?!" He asked, his fist clench, "You all were really in there trying to defend that woman! That BITCH! After what she did to us! After what she did to ME! She is just as guilty as her asshole husband!"

"We know that, Rudy..." Bill replied.

"But she seemed really sorry for what she did," Russell added.

Rudy sneered, "All because she's 'sorry'?! Bullshit! If she was really showing remorse and regret for her actions, why did it take her kidnapping Russell again to realize her actions?! Why didn't she help us sooner?! Don't you think it's a little odd how quickly she 'turned over a new leaf'?!"

Albert moved to put a hand on his friend's shoulder, "Rudy. We know Bella's not innocent. She knows it too. The fact that she admitted her mistakes and wanted to help us a few weeks ago... it takes a lot to own up to your mistakes. Not everyone does that. Of all the criminals in the world, there are few who are willing to change... and I believe Miss Bella is one of them-"

The rich boy instantly moved away, "You wanna know one of my problems with you, Fat Albert?! You're ALWAYS trying to see the good things in life! ALWAYS trying to find the positives. Well, I got news for you! There's not ALWAYS a positive side to things! Some stuff is bad for reasons! Such as kidnapping, torturing, and RAPING! That bitch and bastard hurt all of us! And they ENJOYED it! And they were willing to do it all again after we escaped! And you're gonna give the bitch a pass because she's 'SORRY'?! Fucking **_SORRY_**?!"

"But we're not giving Miss Bella a pass! We know she did wrong things." Harold spoke up, "But she seemed to feel really bad. Don't you remember how she stood up to Gabe? She even helped a bit when Albert got shot."

"If she wasn't remorseful, do you think she would have done all of that?" Bill asked, "Gabe almost killed Albert and me at the railroad!"

"He almost killed you at the cabin! But did Bella do anything to help you then?!" Rudy asked in outrage, "Did she?!"

"Well... no... but..."

Rudy was started to shake with anger, "So you agree that Gabe should be punished severely, but they should go easy on Bella?!"

"At least Bella showed some kind of humanity!" Russell argued, "Despite all she did, she always spoke to us nicely unless she was mad. You can't deny that between the two of them, she wasn't the nicer one..."

The small child then shrunk a little at the dirty look Rudy gave him, "After you stood up for me against her! Now even you're defending her, shrimp?! Weren't you one of the ones trying not to fall for those people's tricks?!"

"I was... because I thought they were trying to make us respect them. Maybe..."

"Maybe what?!" Rudy growled, "Think before you speak..."

Russell glared at him, "Maybe she was crying for help! It was pretty clear that her husband was controlling her. All of this was his idea obviously. Maybe there was something there, that we didn't notice!"

"Now you're making excuses for her!"

"No, I'm-"

"YES, YOU ARE!"

That outburst caused Russell to back away, as Bill held him and glared at Rudy, "Look, Rudy. We all know that Bella is responsible. About as much as her husband. But people can change!"

"And some people CAN'T!" Rudy argued, "Do you idiots know how easily this can happen again?! You have so much faith that Bella can change... but that doesn't change all that she did! I lost my virginity because of her! Harold could have never walked again because of her! Bill could have DIED because of her! Donald nearly lost all of his blood because of HER!"

He stopped to catch his breath. Albert decided to speak again, "Rudy..."

"NO! I don't wanna hear it! I don't wanna hear any other bullshit excuse you wanna tell me! That bitch is guilty as Hell! She deserves more than ten years in the slammer! If it were up to me, both of them would be getting the FUCKING DEATH PENALTY! So fuck them! And fuck YOU for defending that slut!"

With that, the rich boy stormed off to join his parents. As for the rest of the boys...

"Do you think he has a point...?" Bucky asked softly, "I mean, Bella may be sorry, but she still did bad stuff..."

"We know that..." Bill replied, "We're not letting her off easy. But we've seen that she's shown remorse... maybe... while we don't feel sorry for her... we feel... sympathy... in a way. She has to pay for her crimes, but she'll do it knowing what she's done."

"True..." Albert agreed, "And maybe in a few years if she gets parole... she will have changed for the better. But only time will tell..."

One week later...

All the boys found themselves back in the children's room, sitting at a table, and staring at the journal on said table. All of them were debating on whether or not they wanted to write in it again. They were safe, and their kidnappers were behind bars. Was there really anything else they had to write about...?

Well, perhaps it didn't matter now since their therapy sessions would begin very soon.

"It's hard to believe that despite everything... we're all still here..." Albert spoke after a minute of silence.

"Yeah... we sure are..." Harold responded, "I hope talking to the counselors will help us some more."

"It should... "

Rudy had remained silent for a while. He hadn't really talked to his friends after the argument they had after the trial. To him, it felt like his friends were forgiving Bella for her crimes. But he had a thought. What if they weren't forgiving her... but willing to give her a chance to change. Everyone deserves a second chance, people say. But not every person applies to that. And Bella was rather kind to them... in a rough way.

"Um... dudes. Can I say something...?" He spoke up, getting everyone's attention.

As soon as all eyes were on him, "Uh... I wanna say... I'm sorry for screaming at you dudes last week. I was just so... angry and upset. I thought you guys were letting Miss Bella off easy. I thought you were forgiving her for her crimes. It's just that... I can't forget what she, and her husband did to me. Sexual assault is the worst thing that can happen to a minor. How do you forgive that?"

"Rudy... we haven't forgiven her or her husband." Harold spoke, "At least... we won't forgive Gabe. Bella... she'll have to work for our forgiveness. If she can change like she really wants to..."

"Then maybe we can trust her..." Bucky continued, "As Fat Albert said, some people don't admit to their mistakes as Bella did."

"So don't think we're defending or standing up for her... because we're not..." Bill added, "We made sure they didn't give her such a harsh punishment. She's still getting jail time for her crimes. Ten years or less. That might give her time to get the help she needs."

Rudy nodded, "I guess I understand... doesn't really change my opinion... but I can respect yours... so... we're cool."

Albert smiled, "Yeah. We're cool. We get how you're feeling. You suffered the worst out of everyone, so we get how you see all of this. We were all hurt by the couple. We aren't gonna forget this. But... we... you guys especially, will find peace from this..."

"You really think so?"

"I know this..."

Before another word could be uttered, the door opened to reveal Desiree', "Hey, guys. Mrs. McLaughlin is ready to see you one by one." She announced, "So who wants to go next?"

The boys looked at one another. It was now or never here... time to really express their feelings...

**So, it's final. The nasty couple is penalized, and the boys feel safe again. Rudy thinks Bella should have suffered worse, but the others think she can truly change. It goes either way. Next chapter, we'll get another one on one session with the boys and the therapist, much like the talks with Desiree'. That is when we'll get some real raw emotions and thoughts from the boys. Until then, I'll see you guys later, and don't forget to review, please. Thank you!**


	19. Chapter 18: Honest Feelings

**Hi, gang! Time for yet another chapter of JOTN! This is where we get the boys seeing the therapist about all they've been through. Here, you'll see the boys TRUE feelings and emotions. They've expressed it in the journal, they've expressed it to Desiree', and they've expressed it at the trial. They're gonna do it again, but with real, raw, and realistic emotions, especially now that all of it is over. Hope you enjoy...**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OC's.**

Chapter 18: Honest Feelings

"So... tell me. What's on your mind?"

Mrs. McLaughlin sat behind her desk, paper and pencil in hand, as Harold sat in front of her. He was the first to go in. He seemed to be the first in everything lately. But he didn't mind. The tall boy smiled a little.

"A lot is on my mind..." He stated.

"Can you tell me how you're feeling now?"

"Hmm.. relieved I guess. I mean, we're safe. That couple is put away. Everything is good again."

Mrs. McLaughlin stared at the teen as she wrote a few things down. Judging by the way Harold looked, she could tell that he had more to say, but was unsure if he wanted to say it, "Anything else? Tell me, dear. I know you want to let it all out..."

Taking a deep breath, the tall boy spoke.

"Well... maybe not everything is good. Sure, the bad people are gone, and we're back home with our folks... but I'm not sure if we all feel happy again. I mean, the memories... all the bad stuff that happened to us... those won't go away..."

Harold then looked down at his leg. He no longer needed the wheelchair and had settled with crutches. But... it still hurt, and it still sucked, "Sometimes, I look at my leg... and think... I could have never been able to walk again. They... messed me up pretty bad. They cut me... and hit him with a sledgehammer..."

He sighed, "And... we all could have died, really. It's a miracle any of us survived to begin with. We could have never seen our families again. I could have never seen my Mom... my Dad... my brother, Waldo... my sister, Tiffany... I could have never seen any of them again... it's tough to think about..."

Mrs. McLaughlin wrote down a few more notes, before she heard Harold sniffling, "And... as brave as I tried to be in that basement for the other guys... deep down... I was scared too. Every day that we were there, there was no telling what those people would do next... and I always dreaded which one of us would be next. There's a reason I took the blame for Mushmouth one of those days... it wasn't just so he wouldn't get in trouble for something small... but also... I didn't want him to be hurt..."

"I see... now that was a very brave thing to do, Harold..." The therapist told him, handing him a box of soft tissues, "You knew of the consequences of what would happen, but you did it anyway to protect your friend. You may have been scared, but you took charge when the situation called for it."

"T-Thanks.." he smiled, wiping away the tears that were falling, "I just have a hard time forgetting this whole experience... I know the others are feeling the same way..."

"Well, think of this, Harold. Think of how responsible you were to help protect your friends. Think of how they looked up to you, how you tried to be optimistic despite the situation..."

Harold looked down to let that sink in deep, before nodding, "Yeah. I will think of that. I'll think of all I did... and in the end, it paid off. Thanks, M'am... I think you really put into perspective for me."

"I'm happy to help. Anything else?"

"No... I'm good."

With that, Harold left out of the room on his crutches, and a few minutes later, Mush came in. Mrs. McLaughlin smiled, "Hi. James, right? Have a seat, dear."

The Ubbi Dubbi boy sat in a chair, "Hib, M'amb. Niceb tob meetb youb."

"I'm guessing you have a lot on your mind as well, right?"

"Yeahb. Ib haveb stuffb tob sayb. Myb friendsb andb Ib beenb thoughb ab lot. I'mb gladb we'reb okayb. Butb it's hardb tob forbgetb aboutb itb. Itb wasb allb toob scary. Itb wasb theb worstb thingb to everb happen to usb. Web could haveb neverb livedb."

Mrs. McLaughlin wrote down some notes, "I see... it's a very big thing to forget..."

"Yeahb. Ib don'tb thinkb Ib wouldb haveb livedb ifb itb weren'tb forb Weirdb Haroldb. Heb savedb meb."

"I'm aware. He told me."

"Thingsb couldb haveb beenb worseb..."

"But they didn't get worse... you boys were very lucky. And very blessed..."

"Ib guessb sob... Ib onlyb hopeb thingsb gob backb tob normal..."

Mush really didn't have a lot to say. Not anything that the others might be able to say much better. He felt like he didn't suffer as much as the others, but he couldn't help but think of what could have been. He could have been seriously hurt by Gabe and Bella, but Harold stepped in and saved him at the last minute. Thinking of that made him very happy, as he shed a few tears.

Mrs. McLauglin handed him a soft tissue, "You are also very blessed to have such a good friend in Harold. In fact, all of you did all you could to help out each other. Remember that..."

"Ib willb..."

After Mush, Bucky walked in next. From what the therapist could tell, he seemed to be a little nervous, "Talk to me, Bucky. How're you feeling...?" She asked.

"Fine... I guess..." The preteen replied, "I feel a lot better since being kidnapped and saved... but I still feel sore... and I guess scared. I have dreams..."

"Dreams...?"

"Dreams of the bad people. Really scary dreams. I feel scared to go to bed sometimes because I'm afraid I might dream about them again. Everything that happened to us... it was super serious. There's no telling how differently things could have turned out. Harold... he could have lost his leg. Donald... he could have lost his blood... Bill... he could have lost his life... Russell... he could have lost his brother. Mushmouth... he could have lost his neck or something. I could have lost my skin after getting burned... but Rudy... he lost his innocence... "

Mrs. McLaughlin continued to write down notes as Bucky continued, "I'm not saying I'm not happy that didn't happen, because I am happy that it didn't happen... it's just that. I keep having thoughts and imagination moments of how it could have happened... and... it's all t-too much... to bare..."

Bucky felt his own tears falling, as he began to hold his head, "I just can't stop thinking about it. I think I'm going crazy."

"Take it easy, sweetie..." The woman assured him softly, "Don't worry yourself over what could have been..."

"I'm trying not to... but it's so hard..."

"I understand. Try to take deep breaths..."

Bucky did as told, and within seconds, he felt a bit calmer, "Thanks..." He said with a small smile, "I feel a little better..."

"Great..." Mrs. McLaughlin smiled back, "Now, I understand that it's difficult to forget these things... but it's important not to overwhelm yourself with bad thoughts. Think of and be blessed that you're still here today. Pray... pray for a speedy recovery. Pray for your friends..."

"Okay... I'll do that... thanks..."

After that, Bucky left with a renewed purpose. Donald came in after him, and sat down before Mrs. McLaughlin, "Donald... I believe your mother and I go way back... so talk to me, honey. How do you feel right now...?"

"W-Well... I don't know how to feel. I don't know whether to feel happy... or sad... maybe both. I mean, I'm happy that I'm alive... but I'm sad... because of Rudy..."

"Rudy? I hear he's your best friend..."

"Y-Y-Yeah. You see, h-he got hurt real bad... and he hasn't been the same since. It really sucks, you know. Rudy's always had my back since we were little, and sometimes, I have his back. But this time... I couldn't help him. I was so scared... he could have died. Those people could have killed him... they could have killed me... they could have killed all of us... I could have lost my best friend..."

Much like with the previous three boys, Donald started to tear up, "I-I-I wish I w-wasn't so scared... m-maybe I wouldn't have wet myself... I feel like a baby..."

"Oh, Donald. You're not a baby. Some people would be scared enough to wet themselves in dire moments." Mrs. McLaughlin assured him, "We all get scared. Don't feel ashamed. You are a big boy and a loyal friend to Rudy. He appears to need you. Spend some time with him... you all care for him. Be comforting to Rudy to make him feel better..."

"Y-You think that'll work...?"

"I know it will. Here's a suggestion. Why don't you and Rudy come together for a private session with me sometime next week? You can share your thoughts together..."

Donald wiped his tears away and smiled a little, "T-Thanks..." He then looked down at his arms, before pulling back his sleeves. He no longer needed stitches, so in their place were many scars. Some have faded a little... others remained looking not so pretty...

"They c-cut me... really bad..." he showed the therapist the scars, "For wetting myself... my friends say I'm not... but I feel like a freak... I look so weird with these scars. And I hate it! I look like some sort of monster, don't I?! DON'T I?!"

"No, Donald... no, you don't..." She replied, "You are a handsome young man. Those scars don't define your looks at all. They will all fade eventually... they won't go away... but they won't be so noticeable... don't listen to those who may think you look repulsive..."

The pink hat wearing boy nodded, "Oh... okay... I am... I am a handsome man. I don't care what nobody thinks of me! I am handsome! I am good! And I am a good friend to Rudy!"

Mrs. McLaughlin smiled, "That's the spirit..."

"Thanks, M'am. You really helped me out!"

"Happy to be here..."

With that, Donald walked out with a smile on his face. Much like before, Bill and Russell came in together, which made the therapist smile, "You two must be Bill and Russell. The brothers."

"That's us..." Bill smiled.

"According to your records, you two have quite the experience with these kidnappers."

"We sure do... and I'll do most of the talking..."

Clearing his throat, Bill spoke, while wrapping his arm around Russell, "We've got a lot on our mind so we might be here for a while... Rus and I have been inseparable all our lives... and after this, we're even more inseparable. While we were kidnapped, all I wanted to focus on was protecting my brother. It was hard to watch whenever they hurt him... and I could do nothing about it. That woman beat his behind so bad that he bled... and I have nightmares about that every now and then..."

He shuddered when remembering that moment. Russell winced as he rubbed his bottom. But nevertheless, he continued, "And then... you might know this, taking the blow to the head for Russell. I couldn't sit there and let him die..."

"And you almost died, Bill..." Russell spoke up, "All because I opened my big mouth..."

"Rus, you did that because you didn't want to see Rudy suffer anymore. You did a good thing."

"But you wouldn't have gotten hurt..."

"And Rudy _would've_. Much more than he already did..."

The small child sighed, "I guess I feel guilty somehow. I could've lost you, Bill. You were in a coma for days... they could have pulled the plug at any time... and I don't know what I would've done..."

"I was this close to losing you too, Rus. Twice. Three times even. Remember the railroad? You got kidnapped again... and I felt like... I was responsible. I should've gone with you to help look for that bird... then maybe it wouldn't have happened. I felt like a terrible big brother... if anything happened to ya... I would've never forgiven myself..."

Russell reached up to wipe the tears falling from his older brother's eyes. He himself had done all the crying he needed. Now he wanted to comfort Bill, as the older boy continued

"That man was really going to kill you. I tried to stop him, but he knocked me out... and, I never told you this before, but I thought it was the end. I thought I'd never see you again. You have no idea how relieved I was to see you come into my hospital room after I woke up that night... and before then I was sure you were dead. You mean so much to me, Rus. You may annoy the heck outta me at times, but I care about you. Always have... always will..."

The little boy smiled, "I care about you too, Bill. No matter how mean or bossy you get..."

The brothers were talking more to each other more than they were talking to Mrs. McLaughlin, but she didn't mind at all. She admired the interaction between the two, "You really love each other so much to protect one another when there's danger. I love that. I love a good brotherly relationship."

Both Bill and Russell smiled, "Thanks. Bill always knows what to do..." Russell spoke.

"I guess I do. Now, I guess the only thing I'm worried about... is anything else bad happening to Russell. I'm afraid that something will happen... and I won't be there to protect him..."

"I can take care of myself, Bill..."

"Sometimes, you can. But you know you need me most of the times..."

"What's important is that you two stick together for as long as possible. Don't let anything come between you and tear you apart. Together, you can fight those demons..." The therapist advised.

Both brothers nodded, "We'll keep that in mind... thanks." Bill said.

"Yeah, thanks..."

"Anything else you wanna add, Rus?"

"No. You?"

"No. I think I'm good. Thanks for your time, M'am."

"Of course..." Mrs. McLaughlin smiled.

Holding hands, the brothers walked out together. A few minutes later... Rudy walked in, slowly. Judging by the way he was looking and his body language, Mrs. McLaughlin had a feeling she knew which boy this was, "It's good to see you, Rudy. Take a seat and talk to me. I can tell you have a lot on your mind. Don't be afraid..."

The rich boy nodded and sat down. He took a deep breath, before speaking, "I... I just don't know... I just don't... I'm so relieved that my friends and I are safe and those monsters are put away... but..."

"But you can't get over it...?" The therapist finished for him.

"How did you know?"

"I have a way of sensing these type of feelings... besides, your friends feel the same way."

Rudy frowned, "I guess we're not so different when it comes to opinions. But yeah, I just can't forget what happened to us. To me! I was RAPED! They violated me! They took away my INNOCENCE! How the hell am I supposed to forget any of that? I keep thinking about it! Thinking about every single detail! And then there's the fact that it happened more than once! They made me feel like a dirty person!"

He then lifted up his sweater to reveal the words carved into his stomach, "That man... he stabbed these into my chest... to them, I was their little sex slave, to be used for their sick pleasures... and for a while... I believed it was true... and I still feel like it's true! I AM a whore, a slut, a prostitute! EVERYTHING! I LET those monsters do this to me! I'm a sham! A bane of existence!"

Tears were streaming down his cheeks as he ranted. Mrs. McLaughlin sat and listened, wanting him to let it all out, "And when we were rescued, I still couldn't get over it! I have NIGHTMARES of those moments! They're so realistic as if it were happening again! And then Russell got kidnapped again, that triggered more memories! And then seeing the bastards again, it gave me visions! Visions... of it happening all over again! I was terrified! But... when Russell was hanging off the edge of a bridge, I knew I had to be the one to save him..."

He was breathing heavily, "You may or may not know this... but... I did some things to Russell last summer... don't ask... so I felt like I owed something to the little shrimp after all of that... I felt brave... but now... I feel scared... the man and woman are in jail... but I'm afraid... something like this might happen again! What if they break out of prison? What if they kidnap us again?! What if... we don't make it out alive again... what if...?"

Rudy couldn't finish as he just broke down into hysterical sobbing. Mrs. McLaughlin got up from her seat and walked down to kneel next to the boy, pulling him into a hug, allowing him to cry on her shoulder for as long as he wanted...

They remained like that for about five minutes, until Rudy felt calm again. As soon as his sobs decreased, she spoke to him, "Rudy... you are a strong boy... and you're not what those people labeled you as. You are much better than what you think they are. I know you suffered, and I know you won't ever forget the experience... but don't let it overwhelm you..."

Rudy looked up at her, "But what if it happens again...?"

"It won't if you pray... and don't let it worry you so much. Think of what you still have... don't think of what might happen. Think positive... tell me one thing that makes you happy..."

The rich boy sniffed, thinking a bit, "Well... hanging out with my friends... that always is a fun thing to do..."

"Then do that. Continue to spend time with your friends. Do things to take your mind off of your worries..."

"I will... thanks so much... I really needed this..."

Rudy sat with the therapist for a few more minutes, until he was ready to leave. Mrs. McLaughlin had thought she was done with all the boys, that is until Albert walked in.

"Um, hello..." He greeted softly, "Got time for one more..."

"Hello. You must be Albert, aren't you?" She asked, "You weren't one of the ones who was taken."

"True. But I wanted to talk to you for just a moment."

With that, the large boy sat down, "First, I wanted to thank you for seeing my friends. I think they're starting to feel better. You have no idea how badly this has been affected them... I included. And not just from getting shot... when they first got taken, I felt so much worry... I wondered where they could be... and if they could be found... I'm so glad they were... if not, I don't know what I'd do. I love those guys, no matter what."

Mrs. McLaughlin smiled, "I see... all of you boys really care for each other. Keep holding on to that friendship for a lifetime. Never let each other go... stick together til the end..."

"Thanks, Mrs. McLaughlin..."

Albert then walked out of the room, and back into the children's room, where his friends were sitting at the table. He looked at them and smiled. They looked back... before catching him completely off guard by rushing into his arms, hugging him tightly. Albert gladly hugged them back.

The Junkyard Gang remained like that for a while... happy to have each other...

**Awww. Wasn't that sweet? And wasn't Mrs. McLaughlin very helpful? All the boys have some thoughts that they needed to get out, most of them negative. As someone who has dealt with mental problems and negative thoughts, I wrote this with that in mind, and some of the advice given is advice my counselor gave me. We are all blessed. And if you ever have negative thoughts, talk to someone.**

**Anyways, the next chapter is, unfortunately, the epilogue. We'll see a time skip for the boys, and an update on how they're all feeling, along with two last journal entries. It's coming, so stay tuned. I'll see you guys later, and don't forget to review, please. Thank you!**


	20. Epilogue

**Hey, dudes! Here it is, the finale of JOTN. It's been fun, but it's time to put an end to the boys suffering... in this story at least. We'll get a time skip to see how everyone's been doing since the kidnapping. Plus two more journal entries. I hope you enjoy this final installment.**

**Disclaimer: Per usual, I own nothing!**

Epilogue

One month later

'_Dear Journal_

_What a ride these past month has been. Things have really changed since my friends were kidnapped. They have all been through a lot, and I can't say that I haven't either. I guess I should consider myself the lucky one... but I don't feel so lucky._

_While my friends suffered worse... I suffered from the mere fact that they were missing, and I had no idea where they were. Every day that I didn't see them, I worried more and more about their wellbeing. What if I never saw them again? What if...? But I tried not to think about it like that. All I could do was pray that things would get better and that my friends would be found._

_Thankfully, they were... they were affected badly. It took a lot of talking, therapy, and support from one another for everyone to get back on their feet. I nearly died trying to protect them when the kidnappers found them again, but I made it. The woman, Miss Bella, seemed very remorseful about all that she did. I can only hope she's getting the help she needs._

_As for the rest of us... we've been doing well. Some of the gang is still shaken up but doing much better. Well, I better end it here. We're all going to have some fun today. I just wanted to take the time to write something. Until next time..._

_Sincerely, Albert'_

Albert read the first, and probably only, entry he made in the journal, before setting it down onto the table, focusing on the table. He then walked up to the counter when his name was called, as he received his sundae.

The boys were currently at the ice cream parlor, as they promised to go to when everything blew over. He rejoined his friends as they delightfully enjoyed their treat.

All of them have made speedy recoveries from their misfortune just a month ago. Harold's leg had healed up quite nicely, although it was still slightly sore, and he eventually had to do more physical therapy. Bill's head injury had improved much better as well. He didn't have as many headaches as before but was still advised not to move as much.

Donald's scars were not so noticeable anymore, and even though they still remained, he knew he didn't look ugly from them. Mush's neck was feeling much better, and so where Bucky's legs, even though he had scars of his own. As for Russell, it didn't hurt to sit down anymore, and he spent most of his time helping out his brother.

Rudy... had made almost the most recovery, mental wise. He was taking medicine to help with his negative emotions and was still seeing Mrs. McLaughlin the most out of all of the boys. He would never forget those horrid days of captivity, but he had the support of his friends and family to help him pull through... and it paid off.

"Hey, hey, hey. This is a good sundae." Albert spoke up cheerfully.

"It sure is..." Harold nodded with a smile.

"I'm glad we got to go out for ice cream after all..." Bucky spoke, "I can't remember the last time we had any."

"Meb neitherb..." Mush added.

"I think this is the first time we've really had a good time in a long time..." Bill spoke up.

"Especially after last month..." Russell added.

"Yeah..." Donald agreed.

Rudy nodded, "It sure is... it's hard to believe that just a month ago, we were in some basement getting the crap beaten out of us daily. But now... here we are, talking, laughing, eating ice cream... like the good ol' days..."

Albert smiled, "And as long as we stick together, let's hope and pray that nothing like that ever happens to us, or any other kid, again..."

The boys were quick to agree with that. That's when they remembered something as Bill spoke, "Hey, Fat Albert. We wrote another entry in the journal. Together."

"You were right... writing in it really helped us..." Russell smiled.

"So we wanted to thank it... and thank you..." Rudy added.

Bill grabbed the journal and gave it to Albert, who turned to the page. All the boys huddled together, as they all silently read the entry they had put together...

_'Dear Journal..._

_It's all of us writing this. Well, it's Bill writing for us, but everything that's written here is suggestions from all of us. It's been a month since all of us were kidnapped by this crazy couple, tortured, nearly killed, rescued, almost taken again, almost killed again, and rescued again. To make it short, we've all been through a lot. And now that it's a month later, and all the chaos is over. We wanna say._

_Thank you..._

_Thank you for allowing us to write in you. To express our feelings. We were too afraid and worried about talking about our experience out loud, but a good friend of ours suggested that we write. Some of us were hesitant at first, but as it turned out, it helped us a lot. Writing about our feelings was a great way to show each other how we felt. Of course, we had to remember the badness that was the kidnapping to write about everything that happened, but it was much better than keeping it to ourselves._

_We also want to thank our dear friend, Fat Albert. If it weren't for him, some of us would probably still feel scared and worried. We couldn't have done this any other way. He's such a great person._

_So with that said, this will probably be the last time any of us write in you. But if any of us needs to express our feelings... well, we'll be sure to come to get you. Again, thank you for allowing us to express how we've been feeling... and thank you for listening. Until we meet again..._

_Sincerely... Bill, Russell, Rudy, Donald, Harold, Bucky, and Mushmouth'_

Albert smiled. Out of all the journal entries that he has read... this one... he surely wouldn't forget...

THE END

**And that's it! I hope you enjoyed this deep story. I dunno why, but I really enjoy writing these types of tales. Maybe I'm just edgy, IDK. But, the boys are doing much better since the kidnapping, and not only does Albert decide to write in an entry in the journal, the others put together one last entry for Albert to read. And I think it came out nicely.**

**So, I wanna thank you guys for reading this. And stick around for more stories to come into the future. I'll see you guys later, and as always, don't forget to review, please. Thank you!**


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